Consumption of Müllerian Bodies by Golden-olive Woodpecker (Colaptes rubiginosus) in Nicaragua’s Highlands

The Golden-olive Woodpecker is a generalist species found in a wide range of habitats, being particularly common in coffee plantations within Nicaraguan cloud forests. Observations of an individual feeding at the base of Cecropia leaves revealed it was consuming Mullerian bodies that the Cecropia produces to feed Azteca ants as part of a host-inhabitant mutualistic symbiosis. This record further documents the plasticity of some species as they search for alternative sources of energy.