THE SEASONAL MOVEMENTS OF GURNEY'S SUGARBIRD <i>PROMEROPS GURNEYI</i> IN THE LYDENBURG AREA, TRANSVAAL

Swardt, Dawid H de

doi:10.1080/00306525.1991.9639639

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Gurney's Sugarbirds are monogamous and territorial during the breeding season, with male sugarbirds protecting their mates against intruders (Skead 1963;Skead 1967;de Swardt 1991;de Swardt & Bothma 1991).Our data are largely consistent with earlier reports. Skead (1967)described Gurney's Sugarbirds as nesting in small thickets of Pro tea trees in Protea stands.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

“…Its distribution is restricted to higher montane grasslands of the Drakensberg escarpment from the Eastern Cape Province to eastern Mpumalanga, Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Zimbabwe that contain certain Protea and Aloe species (Hall & Moreau 1970;de Swardt 1997a). Local seasonal movements of Gurney's Sugarbirds are dependent on the flowering season of their chosen food source (Skead 1963;Skead 1967;de Swardt 1991;de Swardt 1997b). Where food is not.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…and possibly Protea spp. are in flower (de Swardt 1991(de Swardt , 1997a. Individuals, however, tend to return to the same localities in summer for the breeding season (de Swardt 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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

Calf¹,

Downs²

2002

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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.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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

Calf¹,

Downs²

2002

Ostrich

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“…Tarboton et 01. (1987) and Craib (1981) discussed the dependence of this species on Protea roupelliae as well as the breeding season, which also coincided with the peak flowering period of Protea roupelliae (De Swardt 1991). The aim of this paper is to provide new information on Gurney's Sugarbird breeding biology.…”

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confidence: 95%

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“…In South Africa, sunbirds (Nectariniidae) respond to patchy nectar resources, e.g., Protea and Leonotis spp. (Skead 1967;Tree 1990;Craig and Simon 1991;Craig and Hulley 1994;Symes et al 2001), and Gurney's Sugarbirds Promerops gurneyi are recorded using seasonally available nectar sources (de Swardt 1991;de Swardt and Louw 1994). Cape Sugarbirds P. cafer are also known to appear in greater numbers at flowering Protea spp., and movements up to 160 km within their restricted range have been recorded (Fraser et al 1989;Fraser and McMahon 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of avian nectarivores to the flowering of Aloe marlothii: a nectar oasis during dry South African winters

2007

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In southern Africa, Aloe marlothii flowers during the dry winter season and offers copious dilute nectar to a variety of birds. Avian abundance and community composition were monitored at an A. marlothii forest at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, South Africa. Sampling occurred during two summer months (February-March) when no flowers were present, and six months (May-October) that spanned the winter flowering. We hypothesized that an influx of occasional nectarivores to the A. marlothii forest during flowering would lead to significant changes in the avian community. Overall bird abundance increased 2-3 fold at the peak of nectar availability (August). We recorded 38 bird species, of 83 species detected during transects, feeding on A. marlothii nectar; this diverse assemblage of birds belonged to 19 families, including Lybiidae, Coliidae, Pycnonotidae, Sylviidae, Cisticolidae, Muscicapidae, Sturnidae, Ploceidae and Fringillidae. Surprisingly, only two species of sunbird (Nectariniidae) were observed feeding on A. marlothii nectar, and both occurred in low abundance. We predicted that competition for nectar resources would be high, but few aggressive inter-and intraspecific interactions occurred between birds while feeding on inflorescences. During peak flowering, insect feeders (insectivores, omnivores, nectarivores) fed on nectar during the cold morning when insect activity was low, whilst non-insect feeders (frugivores and granivores) fed on nectar in the middle of the day. Our study highlights the importance of A. marlothii nectar as a seasonal food and water source for a diverse assemblage of occasional nectarivores.

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THE SEASONAL MOVEMENTS OF GURNEY'S SUGARBIRD PROMEROPS GURNEYI IN THE LYDENBURG AREA, TRANSVAAL

Cited by 13 publications

References 6 publications

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

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

Short Notes

Response of avian nectarivores to the flowering of Aloe marlothii: a nectar oasis during dry South African winters

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