What a Woodpecker and Soldier Ants taught me?

I stay in a part of the western suburbs of Mumbai which is just a few kilometers away from a National Park. It is supposed to be the largest park in the world located within city limits and truly a place to be visited many times over. But it was just my third visit to these sylvan surroundings. Such a shame!

A walk through the Shilonda trail inside the National Park was what the e-brochure of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) enticed me with its ‘thick foliage’ of words. And so here I was, on a cool Sunday morning in February, ready to bathe in the serenity of the green expanse and soak in the knowledge, the birds and the insects had to offer.

Typically, this trail is out of bounds for general visitors unless they have permission. It's accessible only through naturist clubs like the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and NIC etc. And that's exactly what excited me even more. I prefer quieter locations such as these where one can enjoy nature at peace, away from the din of the picnickers and the clamor of the motley crowd. This place is so unbelievably peaceful that it’s difficult to believe that it is the same boisterous Mumbai just a few hundred meters away.

Neither a biologist, ornithologist nor an entomologist I am but a Sunday ensconced in the lap of mother nature was just the kind of getaway my senses were seeking.

Among the myriad of tidbits we heard all through this trail, there was one fascinating fact the Naturalist at NIC and our guide for the trail recounted to the group that I would like to share in my Monday Musings. He revealed an intriguing fact about a bird and colony of ants. The ants are popularly called Soldier Ants and Crematogaster by the entomologists (bugologists). These ants use dry leaves, their saliva, and mud to build a robust nest for their colony. This nest resembles a Pagoda and hence it gets its name as Pagoda Ants nest. This nest is almost impregnable to any species as these ants are known to be fierce and attacking and moreover, the nest is as hard as cardboard. However, there is?one bird in spite of these challenges considers this nest as its home and comfortably stays inside it along with the colony of ants. The bird is known as Rufus Woodpecker. It secretes a chemical, pheromone which is the same chemical the soldier ants also secrete. This makes the ants think that the bird is part of its own family. So, though Rufus Woodpecker is not an ant or an insect but a totally different kind of species, the soldier ant allows it to stay in its well-built nest.

Well, Rufus Woodpecker just does not stay there like a?freeloader but, in return provides food to the ants. All the tidbits and insects the bird collects and hunts for its chicks do not get consumed completely. The babies eat a little and litter the nest with crumbs. These leftovers are then consumed by the soldier ants. Thus, saving the ants the energy to go out and hunt for food.

An incredible example of giving and receiving between completely dissimilar species at work here. It shows how two different types, completely unlike each other, by helping one another in a symbiotic relationship can live together peacefully and graciously.

For me, it’s a wonderful lesson which nature has provided! We humans considered as the most evolved species on earth can take a big leaf out of the Pagoda Ant's nest. This is a beautiful insight into how in spite of our seemingly visible differences can live and let live and sometimes even have beautiful and symbiotic relationships.?I am sure there will always be differences and contrasts between each of us in the way we think, live, eat, drink, communicate, behave, and function. However, it’s up to us to find out what are the positives that we can take from each other. How we can use each other’s strengths and thrive, respect each other, be tolerant of diverse opinions and ideologies and move on.

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities” - Stephen Covey