The breeding biology of Gurney's Sugarbird, Promerops gurneyi, in Qwaqwa National Park, Free State

Abstract

Few sugarbirds attempted to breed at the study site in Qwaqwa National Park, eastern Free State. Three birds had returned to the site from the previous year. Six nests were found, five in Proteo raupel/ioe and one in Protea caHra. Nests were described and measured, and females were observed building nests, incubating eggs and brooding nestlings. Males fed chicks, but their main contribution to breeding was the defence of inflorescences. Five clutches totalling nine eggs produced five fledglings. The incubation, nestling and fledgling phases were recorded in detail for four chicks.

The relative contributions of insect and bird pollinators to outcrossing in an African Protea (Proteaceae)

“…Recent phylogenetic analyses of Protea (Valente et al, 2010; Schnitzler et al, 2011) suggest that a shift took place from an ancestral condition of bird pollination to insect pollination in the clade that includes P. caffra . It remains possible that birds contribute significantly to outcrossing in some populations of P. caffra , especially those in dense arboreal stands in the northern parts of its range (Calf and Downs, 2002; Nicolson, 2007), but the results of this study, together with the floral traits in P. caffra that are consistent with beetle pollination (Steenhuisen and Johnson, 2012a), support the idea of a shift from bird to beetle pollination in Protea . As P. caffra and most of the other species in its clade are facultative selfers (Steenhuisen and Johnson, in press), selection for this shift is likely to have occurred through increased male fitness arising from efficient pollen export by beetles.…”

“…Steenhuisen 61 ). Inflorescences of P. caffra are visited by both birds and insects (e.g., Calf and Downs, 2002; Hargreaves et al, 2004). The most frequent floral visitors are beetles, particularly the cetoniine Atrichelaphinis tigrina (Olivier, 1789) (Steenhuisen and Johnson, 2012a).…”

Survival and life expectancy of the treeProtea roupelliaesubsp.roupelliaein a montane grassland savanna: Effects of fire regime and plant structure

“…Seasonal foraging for nectar and insects (Coleoptera, Hymenoptera) and summer breeding coincide with the maximum flowering periodicity of P. roupelliae (De Swardt ). Most importantly, Gurney's sugarbird nests almost exclusively in trees of P. roupelliae (De Swardt & Louw ; Calf & Downs ). In addition, this species supports the summer feeding by several sunbird species (De Swardt ).…”