Feeding strategies in competing hummingbird species observed in a small area in Brazil

(Pensoft Publishers) Being the vertebrates with the highest metabolic rate thanks to their rapid wing flaps, the hummingbirds have evolved various feeding behaviors. While they tend to go for food high in energy, strong competition affects greatly their preferences and behavior towards either dominance, obedience, traplining or a strategy named hide-and-wait, conclude Brazilian scientists after observing several species of hummingbirds over the span of six months. Their conclusions are published in the open access journal Zoologia.

Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - May 2, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: news