Secondary Nectar Robbing by a Volcano Hummingbird (Selasphorus Flammula)

Abstract

Secondary nectar robbing is poorly studied in hummingbirds. Here, we provide an updated list of hummingbird species reported to be secondary nectar robbers and give the first detailed account of secondary nectar robbing by a Volcano Hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula) that obtained nectar through holes made by a Slaty Flowerpiercer (Diglossa plumbea) in two species of plants with long tubular flowers.

First Report of Nectar Robbing by Sword-Billed Hummingbirds Ensifera Ensifera

“…Our results call into ques@on the conven@onal wisdom that nectar robbing by hummingbirds is restricted to shortbilled species, and we suspect that the number of hummingbird species that rob nectar is much larger than that reported by Marks et al (2023). We found no informa@on about preda-@on on Sword-billed Hummingbirds or on how their maneuverability-and thus vulnerability to predators-might be compromised by their long bill.…”

“…Ours is the first report of nectar robbing by Sword-billed Hummingbirds and brings the number of hummingbird species known to be secondary nectar robbers to 35 (Marks et al 2023). Nectar robbing by Sword-billed Hummingbirds appears to be rare and thus far is known only when birds feed on B. sanguinea, whose tubular flowers are among the longest of any plant on which Sword-billed Hummingbirds feed (Soteras et al 2018: Figure 1).…”

“…More than 30 species of hummingbirds have been reported to be secondary robbers that steal nectar through holes in flowers made by primary robbers such as flowerpiercers Diglossa spp. and bees (Marks et al 2023). Hummingbirds that rob nectar tend to have short bills and to rob flowers with corollas that are too long for the birds to obtain nectar through the floral opening (Lara & Ornelas 2001, Igić et al 2020, Marks 2021.…”

“…Hummingbirds that rob nectar tend to have short bills and to rob flowers with corollas that are too long for the birds to obtain nectar through the floral opening (Lara & Ornelas 2001, Igić et al 2020, Marks 2021. Not surprisingly, nectar robbing has not been reported in hummingbird species with especially long bills (Irwin et al 2010, Marks et al 2023.…”

Nectar Robbing by the Red-Tailed Comet Sappho Sparganurus: The Value of Citizen Science to Document Infrequent Behavior in Birds

“…Nectar robbers could either be primary when they pierce the holes in the corolla by which they access the nectar or secondary when they use pre-exis?ng holes drilled by other nectar robbers (Inouye 1980, Irwin et al 2010, most commonly flowerpiercers and bumblebees (Rojas-Nossa et al 2016). In fact, this behavior (both primary and secondary nectar robbery) seems to be more frequently reported in species feeding on tubular flowers, where access to nectar is limited for short-billed species (Lara & Ornelas 2001, Rojas-Nossa et al 2016, Marks et al 2023. Although it has been proposed to be rela-?vely common in hummingbirds (Ornelas 1994) and commonly observed by ornithologists during surveys and pollina?on studies, nectar robbery by hummingbirds is, unfortunately, not o_en documented in the literature (G. S?les pers.…”