Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaine F. Camfield ◽  
William A. Calder ◽  
Lorene L. Calder
Keyword(s):  
Selasphorus Platycercus

Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaine F. Camfield ◽  
William A. Calder ◽  
Lorene L. Calder
Keyword(s):  
Selasphorus Platycercus

Characterization of ten microsatellite loci in the Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara J. Oyler-McCance ◽  
Jennifer A. Fike ◽  
Tiffany Talley-Farnham ◽  
Tena Engelman ◽  
Fred Engelman
Keyword(s):  
Microsatellite Loci ◽  
Selasphorus Platycercus

scholarly journals True grit: ingestion of small stone particles by hummingbirds in West Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Maya-García ◽  
Mauricio Ortega-Flores ◽  
Jorge E. Schondube
Keyword(s):  
Dry Season ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Chitin Content ◽  
West Mexico ◽  
Small Stone ◽  
Fast Development ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Selasphorus Platycercus ◽  
Rufous Hummingbird ◽  
Do So

Abstract Background Grit is used by birds mainly for grinding hard food items but can also serve a nutritional role as a source of minerals. Ingestion of grit by birds has been documented primarily in species that feed on seeds and invertebrates. Although feeding mainly on nectar and small arthropods, hummingbirds also ingest grit, but why they do so is unclear. We quantified the number of grit particles in the stomachs of six species of hummingbirds during an annual cycle in a seasonal ecosystem of West Mexico. Methods We compared the number of grit particles in the stomachs of different hummingbird species (Mexican Violetear Colibri thalassinus, Amethyst-throated Mountaingem Lampornis amethystinus, White-eared Hummingbird Basilinna leucotis, Rivoli’s Hummingbird Eugenes fulgens, Broad-tailed Hummingbird Selasphorus platycercus, and Rufous Hummingbird S. rufus), and between sex and age categories during the different seasons of a year. To determine if grit was used to grind ingested arthropods, we examined the relationships between the number of grit particles, the biomass of arthropods ingested, and their chitin content. Results Although species did not differ in the number of grit particles in their stomachs, we found that grit was mostly ingested by female individuals, with only one male of one species (Mexican Violetear) presenting grit in its stomach. We also found that female hummingbirds had grit in their stomachs during the rainy and the cold-dry season (June–February) but not during the warm-dry season (March–May). Our analyses revealed no relationship between the number of grit particles and the amount of ingested arthropods and arthropod chitin content. However, high grit consumption was related to wasp ingestion on Mexican Violetears. Conclusions Our results indicate that grit is used mainly by female hummingbirds. The seasonal variation in the ingestion of grit by female individuals suggests that it can be used to meet mineral requirements related to breeding; however, this topic needs further exploration. Additionally, the use of grit was proportionally higher in juvenile individuals, suggesting it is used for grinding arthropods during a period of fast development.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaine F. Camfield ◽  
William A. Calder ◽  
Lorene L. Calder
Keyword(s):  
Selasphorus Platycercus

scholarly journals Observational Learning in Hummingbirds

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 795-799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas L. Altshuler ◽  
Andrea M. Nunn
Keyword(s):  
Observational Learning ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Initial Trial ◽  
Initial Task ◽  
Selasphorus Platycercus ◽  
Sequential Trials

Abstract Migratory hummingbirds forage on diverse assemblages of flowers varying in shape, color, and accessibility. Do hummingbirds learn to feed from flowers by observing other hummingbirds? Learning abilities of Ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris), Broad-tailed (Selasphorus platycercus), and Rufous (S. rufus) hummingbirds were studied in the presence or absence of a knowledgeable tutor. In two sequential trials hummingbirds learned to feed from artificial feeders of increasing complexity. Feeders in the first trial had easy access and were colored red at the nectar spout. In this initial trial, hummingbirds attempted to feed from the artificial feeder regardless of tutor presence, but tutored birds learn to feed more quickly. Feeders in the second trial were uncolored and the nectar spout was surrounded by a long artificial corolla. Tutored birds again learned to feed more quickly than their solitary counterparts. However, both untutored and tutored hummingbirds learned to feed more quickly in the second trial than the first, suggesting that the initial task of identifying a novel feeding resource is more difficult than learning how to access an identified resource.

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