Influência da largura e massa corporal sobre o forrageamento de aves frugívoras no Cerrado sensu lato

Abstract

The foraging process is not random, but a set of decisions and adjustments to maximize energy gain. Some attributes are related to the capture and selection of fruit. In order to assess whether the attributes, nozzle size and body mass, influence the behavior of consumers of fruit birds, focal observation was performed to frugivory records in Miconia chamissois (Melastomataceae), Cecropia pachystachya (Cecropiaceae) Ouratea hexasperma (Ochnaceae). There were 131 fruit consumption records for 27 species of birds in 113h of observation, in the Clube Caça e Pesca Itororó de Uberlândia - MG. In Miconia chamissois (46-hour observation period) was 90 fruits of consumer records for 21 species of birds. Saltator maximus with the largest number of records (n = 12). In Cecropia pachystachya (46-hour observation period) was 15 records consumptions by 10 species of birds where Icterus pyrrhopterus (n = 3) and Tangara cayana (n = 3) were the most frequently recorded. In Ouratea hexasperma (21-hour observation period) was 27 records consumptions of 9 species Tyrannus savanna being one with the greatest number of records (n = 6). The foraging time was correlated with body weight (F = 9.77; p = 0.002). Thus, larger species spend more time foraging that can reduce the energy spent on the search for food and increasing energy end reward. Birds with further opening of the spout tend to eat more fruits whole, while birds who remove pieces of the fruits before ingesting, tend to have smaller nozzles. The fruit size is a determining factor in consumer selection. Body weight was related to the number of fruits per visit removed from the plant (F = 28,013; p <0.001), and species with higher body mass tend to consume a larger number of fruit per visit. All attributes studied influence the foraging behavior time and the bird passes the plant feeding, interfering with the foraging time.