Some wasps scavenge carrion, but reports of attacks on live birds are rare
The video shows the wasp landing on the 4-day-old lined seedeater’s head while its parents were away. The wasp repeatedly bit the nestling and tore at its flesh, leaving it bloodied and mortally wounded. Other young birds in the same area of Florestal, Brazil, had similar injuries, suggesting that such attacks may be more common than expected.We tend to think that birds prey on wasps, but the opposite can happen, says Thiago Moretti, a forensic entomologist in Campinas, Brazil, who was not involved with the work.
