Mutualistic interaction between yellow-headed caracara and lowland tapir in a native savanna landscape in eastern Colombia

Abstract Records of mutualistic interactions between birds of prey and large mammal species in the savanna ecosystems of the Neotropical region have been documented in the scientific literature. We report a case of the removal of ectoparasites, such as ticks and fly larvae, from the skin of the lowland tapir ( Tapirus terrestris ) by the yellow-headed caracara ( Milvago chimachima ) in the high plains’ native savanna landscape of the Bita River in the department of Vichada, eastern Colombia. This mutualistic interaction based on co-evolutionary behavior between the two species in these environments could have potential benefits for both species and the savanna ecosystem, with the bird receiving a protein-rich food source from adult and larval insects, and the tapir potentially reducing the risk of disease transmission from vectors such as ticks and flies. We highlight that this type of mutualistic interaction and the ecosystem services provided by wildlife populations to humans, such as the dilution effect of potential zoonotic loads and disease regulation, are seriously threatened by the current degradation of native savanna ecosystems in the Orinoco River Basin, particularly due to the increasing frequency and severity of forest fires on natural cover, and their impact on the wildlife populations.