2/28: Honeyguides and honeybadgers

What birds teaming up with badgers teach us about interdependence

Reading

The universe as a whole, in all its manifold relationships, shows forth the inexhaustible riches of God... We understand better the importance and meaning of each creature if we contemplate it within the entirety of God’s plan. As the Catechism teaches: “God wills the interdependence of creatures. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other”.

Reflection

Honeyguide birds are a great example of animal teamwork. These little birds love honey — the problem is honey is guided by bees, and this bird isn’t going to go diving into any bee nests. What is a bird to do in a situation like this?

Lesser honeyguide, Indicator minor, at Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa, Derek Keats

That’s right. Make friends with a honeybadger.

Honey Badger, Laurens

The honeyguide bird, as you might guess by its name, locates bees nests and then alerts the honeybadger to its location. The honeybadger is grateful for the information, and accordingly dives into the nest to devour the honey. The honeyguide bird, then, gets a few of the scraps of honey after the badger has taken the brunt of the bee attack.

There are countless examples of teamwork, interdependence, and reliance on others in the natural world. Some are direct, like the honeyguide bird and honeybadger, while others perhaps more indirect, like the delicate balance of an ecosystem or a food chain. Examples like these remind us of how, as the catechism teaches, “God wills the interdependence of creatures” — and we are no exception.

Questions

1. Who is someone that I work or live closely with, whom I rely upon to accomplish what I need each day? What can I do to extend my gratitude for how they help me?
2. Who depends on me? What must I do to ensure that my own actions don’t put that other person’s daily life in jeopardy?

Prayer

Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day
and through whom you give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant
with great splendour;
and bears a likeness of you, Most High.
Praised be you, my Lord,
through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven you formed them clear
and precious and beautiful.
Praised be you, my Lord,
through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene,
and every kind of weather
through whom you give sustenance
to your creatures.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble
and precious and chaste.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful
and robust and strong.

— Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Creatures