Bill Morphology and Niche Partitioning in <i>Selasphorus platycercus</i>
Abstract
It has often been stated that the bill shape of hummingbirds is an example of ecological adaptation, as the morphology of their bills are strongly associated with flower nectar resources (Bleiweiss 1999). Broadtailed hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) are considered the most characteristic hummingbird of the Rocky Mountain region (Grant & Grant 1968). At the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Gothic, Colorado, the ecology and behavior of Broadtailed hummingbirds have been studied, but the reason behind why Broadtailed hummingbirds visit specific flowers has yet to be thoroughly examined. To explore this question, we caught a total of 198 Broadtailed hummingbirds in the summer of 2016 and measured their bill length, width, and curvature. We found that females have significantly longer, wider, and curvier bills. In addition, we examined the association between sex and flower visitation using pollen swabs as a proxy for flower visitation. A total of 13 species of pollen were found on bodies of hummingbirds. Through examining the visitation rate across these 13 species of pollen, we found potential for niche partitioning between sexes.
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References (17)
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