Nature 298, 264 - 266 (15 July 1982); doi:10.1038/298264a0

Spatial organization of the white-fronted bee-eater

Robert E. Hegner^*, Stephen T. Emlen & Natalie J. Demong

Division of Biological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
^*Present address: Field Research Center, The Rockefeller University, Tyrrel Road, Millbrook, New York 12545, USA.

White-fronted bee-eaters (Merops bullockoides, order Coraciiformes) have one of the most complex societies recorded among birds. These birds are highly gregarious, roosting and breeding in large colonies of up to several hundred individuals. They are also cooperative breeders, with over one-half of all breeding pairs being assisted by one or more helpers at the nest¹. Each colony is subdivisible into several smaller, tightly interacting social units, each consisting of several pairs and helpers—these units we term clans. Here we report that each bee-eater clan defends a group foraging territory that may be located as many as 7km from the colony site. Each group territory is subdivided into several partially overlapping home ranges belonging to different members of the clan. These home range clusters remain spatially fixed despite periodic shifts from one colonial roosting and breeding site to another. We suggest that the spatial segregation of feeding territories and breeding colonies may have contributed to the complexity of the societal structure of these birds.

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