Spotted Lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) have become an unavoidable nuisance since their arrival in the Big Apple in 2020. These clumsy hemipterans have managed to dominate the urban jungle due to their bright red warning coloration, which is indicative of their bitter tasting chemicals they uptake from their favorite food source, the Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima).
Despite their chemical defenses, our native birds have definitely taken notice of the conspicuous newcomers. While birding in Central Park’s Ramble, I noticed a female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) holding a Spotted Lanternfly in her beak!
There have been numerous other cases of native birds giving these invasive species a taste, such as this observation of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) from last year!
Photo Credits: Gaia Rueda Moreno
Leave a Reply