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First published online July 20, 2006
Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 2880-2887 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02326

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Short-term energy regulation of whitebellied sunbirds (Nectarinia talatala): effects of food concentration on feeding frequency and duration

A. Köhler^*, L. Verburgt and S. W. Nicolson

Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: akoehler{at}zoology.up.ac.za)

Accepted 13 May 2006

Avian nectarivores show compensatory feeding by adjusting their volumetric intake in response to variation in nectar concentration. This study used an infrared photo-detection system to investigate the short-term feeding patterns of whitebellied sunbirds (Nectarinia talatala) consuming three different sucrose concentrations (10, 20 and 30% w/w). Sunbirds increased their feeding frequency on the most dilute diet, but there was no change in feeding duration. Thus, the increase in total time spent feeding on the dilute diet was due to the increased feeding frequency. No difference in short-term feeding patterns was found between the 20% and 30% diets. Total time spent feeding was extremely short on all diets (96-144 s in every hour). Birds maintained the same steady increase in body mass over the course of the day on all three diets. Daily rhythms in feeding patterns were evident, with longer feeding duration and lower feeding frequency in the early morning and evening than during the rest of the day. Because ingestion rates on a particular diet may vary through the day, caution must be exercised in using feeding duration as a surrogate for meal size. Individual birds varied greatly in their feeding patterns irrespective of diet concentration.

Key words: compensatory feeding, feeding duration, feeding frequency, sugar concentration, sunbird, Nectarinia talatala