Harmful Effects of Invasive Yellow Crazy Ant Anoplolepis gracilipes on Three Land Bird Species of Minami-Daito Island

This report describes, for the first time, harmful effects of invasive Yellow Crazy Ants Anoplolepis gracilipes on wild birds in Japan. We observed fledglings of Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus and Daito White-eye Zosterops japonicus daitoensis caused fatal injuries by ants on the ground on Minami-daito Island. We compared reproductive behaviors of Daito Scops Owl Otus elegans interpositus in a cavity with ants and cavities without ants and found that while reproductive success did not differ between them, parental females in a cavity with ants more frequently interchanged their nest site than those in cavities without ants.