Band sizes of southeastern Brazilian hummingbirds

Aluminum numbered bands have been used to mark Brazilian hummingbirds since 1993 to obtain biological data as well as ascertain movements and longevities. Bands should be made as narrow as possible by cutting close to the numbers because of the short length of the hummingbird tarsus. Different band lengths should be determined for different species.

Torpor in three species of Brazilian hummingbirds under semi-natural conditions

We measured body temperatures in three species of Brazilian hummingbirds, the Versicolored Emerald (Amazilia versicolor; body mass 4.1 g), the Black Jacobin (Me lantrochilus fuscus; body mass 7.7 g) and the Swallow-tailed Hummingbird (Eupetomena macroura; body mass 8.6 g), during overnight exposure to natural conditions of photoperiod and ambient temperatures. All three species entered torpor. In both A. versicolor and E. macroura, individuals entered torpor even if they had access to feeders up to the time of sunset. In contrast, M. fuscus was less prone to enter torpor and did so mainly if it had been fasting for more than two hours before sunset. Furthermore, M. fuscus often spent the whole night in torpor, whereas the two other species entered torpor for a variable, often short, period of the night. We observed more than one torpor bout during a single night in all three species. We suggest that multiple nocturnal torpors result from interruption of the normal torpor pattern by some (unknown) external stimuli. Any interrupted torpor was always followed by a new entry into torpor, supporting the view that there is a body mass threshold below which the hummingbirds must enter torpor Our data also indicate that these hummingbird species might use torpor even if they are not energetically stressed.

The yellow book of birds of America : swallows, wrens, hummingbirds, flycatchers, woodpeckers, phoebes, quail, etc. /

Includes index.

Pollination Ecology Of Two Species Of Elleanthus (orchidaceae): Novel Mechanisms And Underlying Adaptations To Hummingbird Pollination.

Relationships among floral biology, floral micromorphology and pollinator behaviour in bird-pollinated orchids are important issues to understand the evolution of the huge flower diversity within Orchidaceae. We aimed to investigate floral mechanisms underlying the interaction with pollinators in two hummingbird-pollinated orchids occurring in the Atlantic forest. We assessed floral biology, nectar traits, nectary and column micromorphologies, breeding systems and pollinators. In both species, nectar is secreted by lip calli through spaces between the medial lamellar surfaces of epidermal cells. Such form of floral nectar secretion has not been previously described. Both species present functional protandry and are self-compatible yet pollinator-dependent. Fruit sets in hand-pollination experiments were more than twice those under natural conditions, evidencing pollen limitation. The absence of fruit set in interspecific crosses suggests the existence of post-pollination barriers between these synchronopatric species. In Elleanthus brasiliensis, fruits resulting from cross-pollination and natural conditions were heavier than those resulting from self-pollination, suggesting advantages to cross-pollination. Hummingbirds pollinated both species, which share at least one pollinator species. Species differences in floral morphologies led to distinct pollination mechanisms. In E. brasiliensis, attachment of pollinaria to the hummingbird bill occurs through a lever apparatus formed by an appendage in the column, another novelty to the knowledge of orchids. In E. crinipes, pollinaria attachment occurs by simple contact with the bill during insertion into the flower tube, which fits tightly around the bill. The novelties described here illustrate the overlooked richness in ecology and morphophysiology in Orchidaceae. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Trochilidae, bearbeitet von Ernst Hartert. Mit 34 abbildungen im texte.

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Behavior at a nest of Amazilia lactea (Aves, Trochilidae)

The hummingbird Amazilia lactea (Lesson, 1832) built a nest in São Paulo, Brazil, in the spring (Oct) and added lichens during incubation. The female incubated over 70 per cent of the day, 1-56 min per visit, and brooded two small young somewhat less; brooding stopped by about 10 days of age, as did night brooding. Lack of night brooding for large young hummingbirds may reflect lack of space in a small nest. Young stayed in the nest 19 days. Feedings were widely spaced, and presence of possible predators caused alarm.

Decoupled evolution of floral traits and climatic preferences in a clade of Neotropical Gesneriaceae.

BACKGROUND: Major factors influencing the phenotypic diversity of a lineage can be recognized by characterizing the extent and mode of trait evolution between related species. Here, we compared the evolutionary dynamics of traits associated with floral morphology and climatic preferences in a clade composed of the genera Codonanthopsis, Codonanthe and Nematanthus (Gesneriaceae). To test the mode and specific components that lead to phenotypic diversity in this group, we performed a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of combined nuclear and plastid DNA sequences and modeled the evolution of quantitative traits related to flower shape and size and to climatic preferences. We propose an alternative approach to display graphically the complex dynamics of trait evolution along a phylogenetic tree using a wide range of evolutionary scenarios. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated heterogeneous trait evolution. Floral shapes displaced into separate regimes selected by the different pollinator types (hummingbirds versus insects), while floral size underwent a clade-specific evolution. Rates of evolution were higher for the clade that is hummingbird pollinated and experienced flower resupination, compared with species pollinated by bees, suggesting a relevant role of plant-pollinator interactions in lowland rainforest. The evolution of temperature preferences is best explained by a model with distinct selective regimes between the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and the other biomes, whereas differentiation along the precipitation axis was characterized by higher rates, compared with temperature, and no regime or clade-specific patterns. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows different selective regimes and clade-specific patterns in the evolution of morphological and climatic components during the diversification of Neotropical species. Our new graphical visualization tool allows the representation of trait trajectories under parameter-rich models, thus contributing to a better understanding of complex evolutionary dynamics.

Reproductive biology of Pseudolaelia corcovadensis Porto & Brade (Orchidaceae): melittophyly and self-compatibility in a basal Laeliinae

The floral biology, mating systems and phenology of Pseudolaelia corcovadensis (Orchidaceae), in the "Estação de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Ambiental de Peti", São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo, Minas Gerais state was studied. This species flowers from April to September, with a higher availability of flowers in June and July. The flowers are dark-pink, strongly zygomorphic, and have osmophores and nectar-guides absorbing ultraviolet light. However, the flowers of P. corcovadensis do not present nectar and are pollinated by Bombus (Fervidobombus) atratus Franklin, 1913 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) by deceit. Apparently, the flowers do not form a model-mimic pair with other species in the community, but mimic a generalized melittophilous food-flower. As a consequence, visits are very rare and fruit set is low (18%). Pseudolaelia corcovadensis is self-compatible and presents inbreeding depression in the early stages of development. The phylogenetic position of the genus Pseudolaelia and studies on floral biology in related genera suggest that melittophyly and self-compatibility are basal characters in the subtribe Laeliinae, with subsequent adaptive radiation to pollination by hummingbirds, Lepidoptera, Diptera and other Hymenoptera.

Visitantes florais de Erythrina speciosa Andr. (Leguminosae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Functional aspects of floral nectar secretion of Ananas ananassoides, an ornithophilous bromeliad from the Brazilian savanna

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Pollination Biology of Jacaranda oxyphylla with an Emphasis on Staminode Function

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Behavior at a nest of Amazilia lactea (Aves, Trochilidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

LEK BEHAVIOR of THE PLOVERCREST (STEPHANOXIS LALANDI, TROCHILIDAE)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Birds of a central São Paulo woodlot: 1. Censuses 1982-2000

Foram listadas 263 aves próximo e dentro de uma mata semidecídua de 230 ha em meio a plantações de cana-de-açúcar, na região central do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Subtraindo-se 67 espécies de áreas abertas, 22 de riachos, 10 vagantes e 12 observadas mais tarde, cerca de 152 espécies de mata e de borda foram observadas entre 1982-86, semelhantemente às observadas em uma mata próxima a Campinas. Ambas as matas perderam espécies gradualmente. Algumas aves evitaram as margens duras dos canaviais, preferindo as margens macias arbustivas. Das espécies de área aberta, parece que 22 desapareceram até 1997, em razão das abundantes chuvas anteriores causadas por El Niño, ou pela raridade de habitats permanentemente abertos nos canaviais; 17 espécies novas eram principalmente noturnas que não haviam sido checadas anteriormente, ou visitantes ocasionais. A mata e as bordas perderam 37 espécies, ganhando 5 de regiões secas e 1 visitante de inverno. Vários migrantes do sul apareceram somente em anos chuvosos antes do recente efeito estufa; algumas aves residentes foram caçadas, e os beija-flores das copas talvez estivessem presentes ainda. As espécies de zonas secas, prones à movimentação ou metapopulacionais, movem os centros de distribuição, camuflando parcialmente a perda de diversidade da mata úmida.