Hummingbirds are the vertebrates that exhibit the highest metabolic rate. This is mainly due to their "rapid wing flaps." The hummingbirds have also grown diverse kinds of feeding behavior. One species of nectar-feeders seek food that is high in energy, but strong competition impacts their preferences and behavior.
These small, colorful hummingbirds have radiant feathers. They flap their wings so fast at about 80 times per second that their wings begin to make a humming sound. They can fly in all directions - right, left, up, down, backward, or maybe even upside down, according to Defenders.org.
The hummingbirds might tend to lean towards dominance, subordination, a strategy known as trapline or a fourth one named hide-and-wait. Brazilian scientists Lucas L. Lanna, Cristiano S. de Azevedo, Ricardo M. Claudino, Reisla Oliveira and Yasmine Antonini of Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto came to these conclusions after six months of observations in an Atlantic Forests in southeastern Brazil. Their findings were published in the journal Zoologia
Experts placed bird feeders with variables in sugar-water solutions in four patches in the middle of the forest fragments, according to Pensoft. Their main strategies were to find out whether the hummingbirds preferred sugary food sources, or whether their bigger sizes and heavier weight helped them to get to the most nutritious feeders. They also wanted to understand the strategies that would be adopted by every bird, as well as the species that turned out to be most dominant and aggressive.
The birds preferred the most sugar-dense solutions. But when subordinate species, such as the white-throated hummingbird and the versicoloured emerald came into conflict with the dominant species hovering over the nutritious food sources, they got frightened off and chased away. Hence, those hummingbirds would visit the feeders with low-sugar solutions.
The Brazilian ruby and the violet-capped woodnymph turned out to be the dominant and aggressive species. When they saw the 'intruder', they would set up a vocal threat and warn them by perching near the feeder or chase them away. Interestingly, though, they tried to keep away access for the subordinate hummingbirds only if the energy from the feeder was more than the energy loss due to the chase.
Interestingly, the dominant species were not necessarily the largest or heaviest species, such as the two species of hermit hummingbirds. They did show territorial or aggressive behavior but were only shown as intruding into the areas of the dominant species. They were frightened off by the Brazilian ruby and the violet-capped woodnymph.
Still, they would not fly away but only hide in nearby shrubs. They would return to the feeders after the dominant birds flew away. This was the hide-and-wait behavior strategy. It has not been documented in hermit hummingbirds earlier, say the authors. The scientists arrived at the final conclusion that the dominant territorial species and the trapliners return most often to the feeders and use the densest sugar sources most frequently.
