The Auk | |
Flexibility of Foraging Behavior in Hummingbirds: The Role of Energy Constraints and Cognitive Abilities | |
Rodrigo A. Vásquez1  Paulina L. González-Gómez1  Francisco Bozinovic1  | |
关键词: behavioral ecology; energetics; individual performance; memory; renewal rate; | |
DOI : 10.1525/auk.2011.10024 | |
学科分类:动物科学 | |
来源: Central Ornithology Publication Office | |
【 摘 要 】
We assessed how individual foraging preferences and cognitive performance affect foraging bout interval and the flexibility of foraging behavior in the nectarivorous Green-backed Firecrown (Sephanoides sephaniodes). Our field experiment evaluated the ability of these hummingbirds to recall nectar-renewal rates in two groups of artificial flowers with the same nectar concentration in the absence of visual cues. In a second experiment, we assessed their ability to remember differences in nectar quality combined with different nectar-renewal intervals, given artificial flowers with identical visual cues. Our results indicate that Green-backed Firecrowns adjusted their foraging intervals according to nectar-renewal rates and, furthermore, that birds were able to recall nectar concentration as well as nectar-renewal rate. Individual differences in memory performance resulted in differences in energy intake. These results strongly suggest that individual preferences and individual cognitive performance could play a central role in energy intake and, therefore, in the probability of survival.
【 授权许可】
Unknown
【 预 览 】
Files | Size | Format | View |
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RO201912050578389ZK.pdf | 232KB | download |