HUMMINGBIRD FRUGIVORY IN A COSTA RICAN CLOUD FOREST

Authors

  • Harry Elliott Cloudbridge Nature Reserve, San Gerardo de Rivas, Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica 11904
  • Charlotte Smith Cloudbridge Nature Reserve, San Gerardo de Rivas, Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica 11904
  • Ethan Clotfelter Department of Biology, Amherst College, USA http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6711-3873

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58843/ornneo.v31i1.591

Keywords:

Elvira, Eupherusa, frugivory, Heliothryx, hummingbird, Lampornis, Saurauia

Abstract

Four species of hummingbirds Ppurple-crowned Fairy, Heliothryx barroti; Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Eupherusa eximia; White-tailed Emerald, Elvira chionura; and White-throated Mountain-gem, Lampornis castaneoventris) were observed feeding on the fruits of the tree Saurauia montana (Actinidiaceae) in secondary cloud forest in the Talamanca mountains of Costa Rica. These fruits are small (1 cm) berries with mucilaginous pulp; feeding occurred via repeated puncture of the epicarp. This is the first record of frugivory in any of these hummingbird species and one of the few records of hummingbird frugivory on plants other than Cactaceae.

Author Biography

Ethan Clotfelter, Department of Biology, Amherst College, USA

Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies

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Published

08-01-2021

Issue

Vol. 31 No. 1

Section

Short Communications

License

This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License  (CC BY), that allows others unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, providing the original author and source are credited.