Record Holders (with Quiz)

[Lisbeth]

One (or all?) of the hornbills close the entrance, but it must be something else being a record

Group mopping?

Chemical defence?

[Lisbeth]

When disturbed, cavity- roosting Green Woodhoopoes turn their tails toward the threat and excrete a foul-scented secretion from their uropygial glands (Ligon and Ligon 1978). Compounds in the secretion include dimethyl-sulfide (scent of rotten eggs), and the rank odor persists on any surface it touches (Burger et al. 2004). The interesting behavioral presentation of a liquid stench suggests a putative chemical defense against vertebrate predators (Ligon and Ligon 1978, du Plessis and Williams 1994), as does the behavior of young birds, which release large quantities of foul-scented, liquid feces when disturbed (Ligon 2001). Both responses could presumably evoke unpalatable or aversive reactions in predators, such as snakes, genets and rats, which frequently attack woodhoopoes in their cavities (Ligon and Ligon 1978). No experiments have been conducted on natural predators, though pilot data described in Burger et al. (2004) suggest that some Green Woodhoopoe compounds deterred predatory cats and lizards. Interestingly, the related Eurasian Hoopoe also produces rank uropygial secretions, and young can dramatically spray fecal-like fluids ≤60 cm (Kristin 2001), which indicates that the two avian groups may exhibit similar forms of chemical protection.

Law-Brown (2001) reported 17 uropygial compounds detected in Green Woodhoopoes that were effective against several microbes, including feather-degrading bacteria (Burtt and Ichida 1999) and several common avian pathogens (e.g., Salmonella gallinarum, Streptococcus faecalis, Staphyloccocus aureus). It is unclear, however, whether lab treatments mimicked concentrations of chemical substances naturally found on plumage or skin of wild birds. A bacterium (Enterococci phoeniculicola) isolated from the uropygial gland (Law-Brown and Meyers 2003) may be responsible for the antimicrobial compounds. In the related Eurasian Hoopoe, another bacterium (E. faecalis), isolated from a nestling uropygial gland, also produces substances with antimicrobial properties (Martin-Platero et al. 2006).

https://bioone.org/journals/the-auk/vol ... 8(2007)124

[Klipspringer]

Now what might be the record?

[Lisbeth]

I was just about to ask you

[Lisbeth]

The lowest number of successful attacks?

[Klipspringer]

No, think along the line of the chemicals.

[Lisbeth]

17 uropygial compounds detected in Green Woodhoopoes

A record?

[Klipspringer]

No. But what do these chemicals do?

[Lisbeth]

They are so smelly that raptors do not attack

[Klipspringer]