Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(73)90559-8 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Upper bill bending as an adaptation for nectar feeding in hummingbirds.
J R Soc Interface
November 2024
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK.
Observations of maxillary (upper bill) bending in hummingbirds have been considered an optical illusion, yet a recent description of out-of-phase opening and closing between their bill base and tip suggests a genuine capacity for bill bending. We investigate bill kinematics during nectar feeding in six species of hummingbirds. We employed geometric morphometrics to identify bending zones and combined these data with measurements of bill flexural rigidity from micro-computed tomography scans to better understand the flexing mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrnithophily in the trumpet creeper ().
Ecol Evol
September 2024
Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MRC-116, National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution Washington DC USA.
The diversification of hummingbirds (Trochilidae) has shaped the pollination strategies and floral trait evolution in at least 68 families of flowering plants in the Western Hemisphere. The trumpet creeper (Bignoniaceae) is the quintessential example of ornithophily in eastern North America. The mutualistic relationship between this orange-flowered liana and the ruby-throated hummingbird () was illustrated as early as 1731.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMorphological description of the alimentary canal and adnexal glands in Amazilia tzacatl, Amazilia saucerottei, Amazilia amabilis and Anthrachotorax nigricollis species.
Anat Histol Embryol
January 2024
Grupo de Investigación CIBAV, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellin, Colombia.
The hummingbird family (Trochilidae) includes the smallest and most metabolically active vertebrates. They have a high energy demand because of their extraordinarily high metabolic rates during hovering while looking for food. The morphology of the digestive apparatus is related to the feeding habits of the species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHow do honeyeaters drink nectar?
Integr Comp Biol
July 2023
Department of Biology, University of Washington, Life Sciences Building, Box 351800, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.
We investigated the kinematics and biomechanics of nectar feeding in five species of honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae, Acanthagenys rufogularis, Ptilotula penicillata, Certhionyx variegatus, Manorina flavigula). There is abundant information on honeyeater foraging behaviors and ecological relationships with plants, but there has never been an examination of their nectar-feeding from kinematic and biomechanical perspectives. We analyzed high-speed video of feeding in captive individuals to describe the kinematics of their nectar feeding, with specific focus on describing tongue movements and bill-tongue coordination, and to characterize the mechanism of nectar uptake in the tongue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNectar feeding beyond the tongue: hummingbirds drink using phase-shifted bill opening, flexible tongue flaps and wringing at the tips.
J Exp Biol
April 2023
Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Hummingbirds are the most speciose group of vertebrate nectarivores and exhibit striking bill variation in association with their floral food sources. To explicitly link comparative feeding biomechanics to hummingbird ecology, deciphering how they move nectar from the tongue to the throat is as important as understanding how this liquid is collected. We employed synced, orthogonally positioned, high-speed cameras to describe the bill movements, and backlight filming to track tongue and nectar displacements intraorally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!