Aves explorando flores de Erythrina fusca (Leguminosae, Fabaceae) durante a estação seca no Pantanal de Mato Grosso

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Exploitation of Erythrina fusca (Leguminosae, Fabaceae) flowers by birds during the dry season in Pantanal ofMato Grosso, Brazil. Recent studies reported the importance of flowers in the diet of many Neotropical bird species. In this paper we identify and describe the feeding behaviour of bird species that feed on flower resources of Erythrina fusca (Fabaceae) in the Pantanal Mato-Grossense, Brazil. We recorded birds foraging in 14 flowered individuals of E. fusca during 25 hours of observation. We recorded 20 bird species belonging to seven families feeding on the flowers. Several of the observed behaviours were destructive, despite some species, especially the Trochilidae and Icteridae, showed feeding strategies that preserve the integrity of the flowers and are compatible with pollen transportation. The comparison of the data gathered in this study with the available literature indicates that the Icteridae may play an important role in pollination of this tree species.KEYWORDS. Flowers, Pantanal, birds, feeding resources, pollination. RESUMO.Estudos recentes têm evidenciado a importância de flores como recurso alimentar de diversas espécies de aves neotropicais. Este estudo teve o objetivo de listar espécies e descrever o comportamento das aves que se alimentaram de recursos florais de Erythrina fusca (Fabaceae) no Pantanal Mato-Grossense. Para isso, foram acompanhadas aves que se alimentaram em 14 árvores floridas dessa espécie em um total de cerca de 25 horas de observação. Como resultados, 20 espécies de aves pertencentes a sete famílias taxonômicas foram observadas alimentando-se de recursos florais de E. fusca. Apesar de várias espécies de aves terem apresentado comportamentos destrutivos em maior proporção, algumas espécies, sobretudo das famílias Trochilidae e Icteridae, apresentaram estratégias alimentares compatíveis com o transporte de pólen. O cruzamento dos dados obtidos neste estudo com os da literatura indicam que a família Icteridae pode ter relevante papel na polinização dessa espécie vegetal.

Bird Community Structure in Macrohabitats of the Aquaticterrestrial Transition Zone in the Pantanal Wetland, Brazil

“…Throughout drought periods in the Pantanal, there are an increased number of birds, which is associated with the reproductive season of plant species. This seasonal change results in increases in food supply (Yabe & Marques 2001), which include E. fusca flowers that are considered an important source of food (Parrini & Raposo 2010) and are monodominant in the TES (Frota et al 2017). The richness of birds present in the monoespecific forest in the dry season is also affected by the breeding season of some birds Figure 5.…”

Blooming meal: flower eating by the Blue-crowned Trogon Trogon curucui

“…Floral resources can be exploited in a number of ways, both destructive and non-destructive. Hummingbirds (Trochilidae) and a number of passeriforms feed on nectar and act as pollinators without changing the flower structure (Parrini & Raposo 2010), whereas some species of Cracidae, Psittacidae, Ramphastidae, Thraupidae, and Icteridae are known to be flower predators (Ragusa-Netto 2005, Parrini & Pacheco 2013, Parrini 2015, Mendes et al 2017, Valtuille et al 2017.…”

“…In the Pantanal, Blue-throated Piping-Guan Pipile cumanensis regularly eats the flowers of the pink trumpet tree (Handroanthus impetiginosus) during the dry season, when it may congregate in blooming trees together with Chaco Chachalaca Ortalis canicollis, Barefaced Curassow Crax fasciolata, and Chestnut-bellied Guan Penelope ochrogaster (Del Hoyo et al 2020). In the Pantanal, which has an intense dry season, the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet Brotogeris chiriri, Peach-fronted Parakeet Eupsittula aurea, and Turquoise-fronted Parrot Amazona aestiva, exploited Erythrina fusca ripping the flowers off the branch to feed on nectar, while the Chestnut-eared Aracari Pteroglossus castanotis and R. toco swallowed the flowers whole (Parrini & Raposo 2010). On the other hand, the Sayaca Tanager, the Palm Tanager Thraupis palmarum, and the Grayish Saltator Saltator coerulescens were observed tearing off and eat the petals (Parrini & Raposo 2010).…”

“…In the Pantanal, which has an intense dry season, the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet Brotogeris chiriri, Peach-fronted Parakeet Eupsittula aurea, and Turquoise-fronted Parrot Amazona aestiva, exploited Erythrina fusca ripping the flowers off the branch to feed on nectar, while the Chestnut-eared Aracari Pteroglossus castanotis and R. toco swallowed the flowers whole (Parrini & Raposo 2010). On the other hand, the Sayaca Tanager, the Palm Tanager Thraupis palmarum, and the Grayish Saltator Saltator coerulescens were observed tearing off and eat the petals (Parrini & Raposo 2010).…”

“…Florivory (or floral herbivory) is defined as the consumption of all or part of the structure of a flower, which may damage the floral bud or mature flower prior to the development of the seed capsule (Burgess 1991). Floral components are an important feeding resource for many Brazilian birds (Silva and Rubio 2007, Parrini & Raposo 2008, 2010, Parrini 2015. Nevertheless, the consumption of flowers by omnivorous birds and the importance of floral resources in their diets are still poorly understood.…”