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It was near midnight in the Brazilian rainforest when biologist Leandro João Carneiro of Lima Moraes spotted a small gray and white bird lying in the undergrowth. But the sleepy creature was not alone: a large brown butterfly clung to his neck, probing his eyeball with a long sucking tongue.
A little less than an hour later, Moraes encountered another pair of bird-moths. The bird, another black-chinned Antbird, was once again sitting on its branch in asleep stupor as the erebid butterfly floated on the bird's neck and sipped its juice.
For moths, it's a rather ordinary evening. Biologists have spotted butterflies and butterflies drinking tears of mammals, turtles and crocodiles. Eyeballs are a less common source of refreshment – Moraes is the first person to spot moths that drink tears of birds in Brazil. Previously, there had been only two other reports on the action of the moths in the naked eye in Madagascar and Colombia.
Moths and butterflies use tears, officially called lachryphagia, to help supplement their diet, as tears can be a good source of sodium and protein. Insects drink tears for the same reason: they gather in puddles of mud and spread useful minerals. There does not seem to be any harm or benefit to the birds. Even though Moraes says he wonders if the behavior increases the risk that birds will contract an eye disease.
It is not known if butterflies rarely drink bird tears – or if humans rarely catch them. It will take many more excursions at midnight in the tropical forests of the world to discover it.
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