Why Are Bird‐visited Flowers Predominantly Red?

Raven, Peter H.

doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1972.tb01975.x

Cited by 101 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The results of the present study contrast with the well-known idea that red flower colouration serves as a signal to bird pollinators of a nectar reward (Grant 1966;Raven 1972). Red-phase flowers of F. excorticata contain no nectar and are virtually ignored by both natural pollinators (bellbirds) and introduced floral visitors (silvereyes and bumblebees).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 55%

“…The convergence on a single colour for most birdpollinated plants obviates the otherwise necessary requirement for the birds to learn the different flowers. Red, rather than any other colour, predominates as birds orient themselves through sight (rather than smell) and red is highly conspicuous to birds, while at the same time it is inconspicuous to most insects (Grant 1966;Raven 1972). Therefore the nectar-rich flowers of bird-pollinated plants can' avoid being robbed by unspecialised insects while attracting birds from 'great distances' (Grant 1966).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The tubular shape inhibits nectar robbing by nonspecialised insect visitors and the red colour, although easily seen by birds, is not visible to most insects (Raven 1972). In addition, bird-pollinated flowers are often odorless (birds have a poor sense of smell), produce copious nectar (Faegri & van der Pijl 1979), and are thick-tissued (Grant 1966).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pollinator visits to floral colour phases ofFuchsia excorticata

Delph

Lively

1985

New Zealand Journal of Zoology

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Fuchsia excorticata is a gynodioecious tree (endemic to New Zealand) which is pollinated by honeyeater birds. Red, tubular flowers are common among bird-pollinated plants, and the tubular flowers of F. excorticata change colour from green to red. The purpose of the present study was to describe the timing of the colour change, dropping of the floral tube, and nectar production of F. excorticata and to determine how bellbirds iAnthornis melanura) and two introduced species of nectar robbers (Zosterops lateralis and Bombus sp.) respond to the different colour phases.Floral tubes fell off about II days after anthesis in both sexes, with colour change occurring on about Day-4 for female trees and on about Day-S for hermaphrodite trees. Green-phase hermaphrodite flowers produced significantly more nectar/day than did green-phase female flowers, while red-phase flowers did not produce nectar in either sex. All three floral visitors studied preferentially visited green-phase flowers and virtually ignored the nectarless flowers in the red phase. These results contrast with the general association between red, bird-pollinated flowers and the presence of a nectar reward. We suggest that the non-migratory habit of the New Zealand honeyeaters and the lack of native insect visitors to this species may account for this anomalous green-to-red colour change.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 55%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pollinator visits to floral colour phases ofFuchsia excorticata

Delph

Lively

1985

New Zealand Journal of Zoology

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“…maximus may not be particularly obvious to foraging birds. However, the bold red flowers are a colour known to be favoured by birds (e.g.. Grant 1966;Raven 1972). In contrast, the strongly autogamous pink-flowered C. puniceus would possibly be less attractive to foraging birds.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

The pollination system and stigmatic cuticle ofClianthus puniceus(Fabaceae)

Heenan

1998

New Zealand Journal of Botany

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“…Colour might, however, be used to find flowers in unfamiliar places, such as along a migratory route and red may well be more conspicuous against a background of browns and greens that make up a western North American mountain range. It has also been argued elsewhere that the ubiquity of red flowers along the migration route of the rufous has less to do with attracting hummingbirds than making flowers inconspicuous to insects, whose vision is poorer at longer wavelengths (Altshuler, 2003;Briscoe & Chittka, 2001;Raven, 1972).…”

Section: Figure 3 Photographs Showing the Elevated Feeder (To Deter mentioning

confidence: 99%

What hummingbirds can tell us about cognition in the wild

Healy¹,

Hurly²

2013

CCBR

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Here we review around 20 years of experimental data that we have collected during tests of cognitive abilities of free-living, wild rufous hummingbirds Selasphorus rufus at their breeding grounds in southwestern Alberta. Because these birds are readily trained to feed from artificial flowers they have proved a useful system for testing cognitive abilities of an animal outside the box wherein animal cognitive abilities are so often tested in the laboratory. And, although these data all come from a single species in a single location, the long-term aim of this work is to make a contribution to our understanding of the evolution of cognitive abilities, by examining the relationship between the ecological demands these birds face and their cognitive abilities. Testing predictions based on our knowledge of their ecology we have found that, while these birds aggressively defend a territory and display to females during the time we train and test them, they can learn and remember the locations of rewarded flowers, what those flowers look like, and when they are likely to contain food. Small-brained though they may be, these 3g hummingbirds appear to have cognitive capabilities that are not only well matched to their ecological demands, they are in at least some instances better (more capacious) than those of animals tested in the laboratory.

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Why Are Bird‐visited Flowers Predominantly Red?

Cited by 101 publications

References 6 publications

Pollinator visits to floral colour phases ofFuchsia excorticata

Pollinator visits to floral colour phases ofFuchsia excorticata

The pollination system and stigmatic cuticle ofClianthus puniceus(Fabaceae)

What hummingbirds can tell us about cognition in the wild

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