Arthropod Foraging in a Temperate Mountain Hummingbird Ensemble.

Maya-García, Omar; Maya-Elizarrarás, Elisa; Lara, Carlos; Schondube, Jorge E.

Simple Summary: Hummingbirds use arthropods to obtain proteins, fatty acids, and micronutrients absent in their nectar diet. Despite arthropods' nutritional importance for hummingbirds, most studies on these birds have focused on nectar consumption (~97% of total studies), with arthropod ingestion requiring better study. Consequently, our understanding of the factors affecting hummingbirds' arthropod ingestion and their role as an energy source for these birds is limited. Our main objective was to describe the use of arthropods by a hummingbird ensemble during one annual cycle. We explored the effects of seasonal differences in nectar and arthropod availability on hummingbird arthropod foraging. We found that the arthropod capture attempt rate of the White-eared Hummingbird (Basilinna leucotis; the only species that forage for arthropods during the different seasons of the year) differed among seasons, being significantly higher during the warm-dry season of the year when arthropod abundance was at its peak. As a result, we found a significant and positive relationship between arthropod availability and arthropod foraging rate for this species. Our findings suggest that some hummingbirds can use arthropods as their only food source, covering all their nutritional and energy requirements. This capacity is vital when nectar is not available in the environment. Arthropods are hummingbirds' principal source of nitrogen, fatty acids, and micronutrients. Despite the nutritional importance of arthropods for hummingbirds, our understanding of the factors influencing their consumption and their relative role as an energy source remains limited. Here, we aimed to describe the use of arthropods by a hummingbird ensemble in a seasonal temperate mountain ecosystem in West Mexico during one annual cycle. We compared arthropod capture attempt rates among six different humming species. Also, we investigated the impact of seasonal variation in food availability on the arthropod capture attempt rates of the White-eared Hummingbird (Basilinna leucotis), the sole species observed foraging for arthropods in all seasons. We found that hummingbirds ingested arthropods from different orders (Araneae, Hemiptera, Psocoptera, Hymenoptera, and Diptera), with arthropod capture attempt rates varying wildly among species. The arthropod capture attempt rates of the White-eared Hummingbird showed a significant positive correlation with arthropod availability, peaking during the warm-dry season when floral nectar was scarce and arthropod availability was high. Our data show that arthropod ingestion is crucial for some hummingbird species, mainly when nectar availability is limited or absent in the environment.

NUTRITIONAL requirements; MOUNTAIN ecology; ARTHROPODA; FATTY acids; VITAL capacity (Respiration); HUMMINGBIRDS

Birds (2673-6004), 2024, Vol 5, Issue 4, p774

2673-6004

Academic Journal

10.3390/birds5040052