When building a bird nest in ant territory, the best defense could be an offensive fungus.
Swollen-thorn acacia trees are aggressively defended by multiple species of ants. And yet, several species of birds across Central America and Africa choose to nest in these trees. It seems that fungal fibers in the nests deter the ants who encounter them and alter their behavior, making them apparently alarmed and intoxicated, researchers report in the October Animal Behaviour.
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