74 Psyche [June 
LARGE RAPTORIAL BIRDS AS ENEMIES OF CICADAS 
By Charles T. Brues 
Harvard University 
Cicadas form an important source of food for many carnivorous 
birds. There are abundant published records which attest the fond- 
ness of a great variety of birds for these large Homoptera which 
constitute a notable part of the insect fauna over many extensive 
areas throughout the world. 
By reason of its periodical appearance in immense swarms, the 
North American Magicicada septendecim is naturally eaten in large 
numbers by a great variety of insectivorous birds on the rare oc- 
casions that it appears. Extensive records collated by Marlatt, 
Myers and McAttee 1 show that this cicada, as well as many others, 
frequently forms a part of the avian diet. 
It is usually the smaller and less powerful species of birds which 
prey on cicadas, but often some of the larger raptorial Falconidae 
do not disdain to capture and eat them with apparent relish. An 
early account of kites feeding on cicadas in the American tropics 
is contained in Belt’s “Naturalist in Nicaragua” published in 1874 
(p. 230), where he found on dissection that their crops were filled 
with these insects. Later, in India, Distant, and also Bingham 
noted similar birds preying on cicadas and Myers ( loc . cit .) quotes 
Australian records of similar occurrences. 
During our recent stay in the Philippines we had the opportunity 
to observe the frequent capture of a very large cicada ( Cryptotym- 
pana acuta Sign.) that was common during the summer months 
(May and June) in the wooded foot-hills above Dumaguete on 
Negros Island. I am indebted to my friend, Dr. Z. P. Metcalf for 
the specific determination. The cicadas could be seen frequently 
resting in numbers among the smaller branches of trees, and at 
frequent intervals one or several soaring kites would appear, circle 
among the high trees and pick off the immobile insects . 2 At this 
season the shrill din of the singing insects was very pronounced and 
2 Marlatt, C. L. The Periodical Cicada. Bull. U. S. Dept. Agric., n. s. 
No. 14 (1878). Myers, J. G. Insect Singers. G. Rutledge & Sons, London 
(1929). McAttee, W. L. Effectiveness in Nature of the So-called Adapta- 
tions of animals Chiefly as Illustrated by the Food Habits of Nearctic 
Birds. Smithsonian Misc. Coll., vol 85, No. 7 (1932). 
2 The identification of the birds is not positive, but they were, without 
much question, the common honey buzzard ( Pernis ptilorhynchus) . 
