Salt intake and regulation in two passerine nectar drinkers: white-bellied sunbirds and New Holland honeyeaters

Abstract

Avian nectarivores face the dilemma of having to conserve salts while consuming large volumes of a dilute, electrolyte-deficient diet. This study evaluates the responses to salt solutions and the regulation of salt intake in white-bellied sunbirds (Cinnyris talatala) and New Holland honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae). Birds were first offered a choice of four sucrose diets, containing no salt or 25, 50 or 75mM NaCl. The experiment was repeated using five sucrose concentrations (0.075-0.63M) as the base solution. Both species ingested similar amounts of all diets when fed the concentrated base solutions. However, when birds had to increase their intake to obtain enough energy on the dilute sucrose diets, there was a general avoidance of the higher salt concentrations. Through this diet switching, birds maintained constant intakes of both sucrose and sodium; the latter may contribute to absorption of their sugar diets. A second, no-choice experiment was designed to elucidate the renal concentrating abilities of these two nectarivores, by feeding them 0.63M sucrose containing 5-200mM NaCl over a 4-h trial. In both species, cloacal fluid osmolalities increased with diet NaCl concentration, but honeyeaters tended to retain ingested Na(+), while sunbirds excreted it. Comparison of Na(+) and K(+) concentrations in ureteral urine and cloacal fluid showed that K(+), but not Na(+), was reabsorbed in the lower intestine of both species. The kidneys of sunbirds and honeyeaters, like those of hummingbirds, are well suited to diluting urine; however, they also appear to concentrate urine efficiently when necessary.