Feathered Friends

Birds like the Egyptian plover are involved in partnerships with animals of many kinds. In the Mediterranean Sea, for example, several kinds of gulls get help with housecleaning chores from the common wall lizard. The birds build their nests in crevices along the rocky shores of islands. Insect pests soon move in, troubling parent and young birds alike. But all lizards clamber among the nests, eating the insects.

The lizards are just the right size to make a meal for the gulls- but the birds ignore them as they go about their job. Other birds work in partnership with grazing animals. One of the most familiar of these is the cattle egret. In Africa, this elegant white bird can be seen hopping around the feet of antelope, zebras, elephants and other animals. But it has expanded its ranger to the Americans, where it is often seen among herds of cattle.