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Territorial behaviour in an Australian nectar‐feeding bird
Author(s) -
FORD HUGH A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
australian journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1442-9993
pISSN - 0307-692X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1981.tb01282.x
Subject(s) - nectar , ecology , energy density , biology , foraging , geography , pollen , physics , theoretical physics
The red wattlebird, a large Australian honey eater, defends feeding territories from other nectar‐feeding birds. One such territory decreased in size and experienced fewer intruders as the density of flowers increased. Daily energy production from the nectar in the territory closely approximated the energy requirements of the territory holder. The bird was probably minimizing energetic costs rather than maximizing energy intake.