Hummingbird sweetness preferences: taste or viscosity?
-
Published source details
Stromberg M.R. & Johnsen P.B. (1990) Hummingbird sweetness preferences: taste or viscosity?. The Condor, 92, 606-612.
Published source details Stromberg M.R. & Johnsen P.B. (1990) Hummingbird sweetness preferences: taste or viscosity?. The Condor, 92, 606-612.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
Action | Category | |
---|---|---|
Provide supplementary food for hummingbirds to increase adult survival Action Link |
-
Provide supplementary food for hummingbirds to increase adult survival
A replicated study in the summers of 1986-7 in pine scrubland in Arizona, USA (Stromberg & Johnsen 1990), found that black-chinned hummingbirds Archilochus alexanderi preferentially fed on 40% sucrose solutions (by weight/volume) when offered the choice of 40%, 10% and 20% (taking four times as much 40% solution as the others), but showed no preference when given the choice of 20%, 25% and 30% or 20%, 30% and 40%. Hummingbirds also showed a very strong preference for 20% sucrose solution, compared to saccharin (0.045% concentration), aspartame (0.1%) and Equal® (2.47%) artificial sweeteners (taking between six and 12 times more sugar than sweetener). Increasing the viscosity of the artificial solutions did not increase their consumption. All solutions were provided in ten commercial hummingbird feeders, each with three feeding points, scattered 300 m along a ridge. Experiments ran for 15-30 minutes.
Output references
|