Abstract
Abstract: Flowers provide birds with a range of dietary resources, although few data are available on flower eating for birds that have mixed diets. We report here a new food type for the Blue-crowned Trogon (Trogon curucui), describing two flower eating events. The individuals fed on the yellow trumpet tree flowers (Handroanthus spp.) at the peak of the dry season in the Cerrado and Pantanal biomes. The birds picked up the flowers by sally-glean flying and a brief hovering, and then perched on a nearby branch to swallow the flower whole. Florivory appears to be seasonal and, while a minor component of this species' diet, flowers may be an important alternative resource during periods when fruits are scarce.
Highlights
Trogonidae (Aves, Trogoniformes) are forest dwellers that include eight genera and 43 species with a Pantropical distribution, except in Australasia (Collar 2020)
We describe two events of flower eating by the Blue-crowned Trogon, Trogon curucui, during the dry season in the Brazilian Cerrado savanna and Pantanal wetland biomes
Our observations validate and document flower eating for the Bluecrowned Trogon, Trogon curucui, an apparently uncommon feeding behavior among Trogonidae
Summary
Trogonidae (Aves, Trogoniformes) are forest dwellers that include eight genera and 43 species with a Pantropical distribution, except in Australasia (Collar 2020). Floral components are an important feeding resource for many Brazilian birds (Silva and Rubio 2007, Parrini & Raposo 2008, 2010, Parrini 2015). The consumption of flowers by omnivorous birds and the importance of floral resources in their diets are still poorly understood. Some studies describe feeding on petals and other floral components by several bird species (Sazima & Sazima 2007, Silva & Rubio 2007, Parrini & Pacheco 2013, Parrini 2015, Silva 2019)
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