If you walk through countryside, you are likely to see some birds stalking alongside the cattle to seize the insects disturbed by their movement through grasses. Which of the following is/are such bird/birds? Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Answer: (b) 2 only

The common myna follows cattle for insects.

Statement by statement

1. ✗ NO Painted storks feed in water, sweeping their bills for fish.

2. ✓ YES Mynas follow cattle to catch the insects they disturb.

3. ✗ NO Black-necked cranes live in high-altitude wetlands of Ladakh and Arunachal.

The idea

When cattle walk through grass they flush out grasshoppers and flies. Some birds have learnt to walk beside them and pick these up. The bird gains and the cattle neither gain nor lose. Such a one-sided but harmless relation is called commensalism.

Cattle graze → Insects jump out of the grass → Birds walking alongside snap them up

The trap

The best-known cattle bird, the cattle egret, isn’t listed — so you have to know the myna does the same.

Also know

The birds that do this are the cattle egret, the common myna and the black drongo. The painted stork wades in shallow water for fish.