The foraging of New Zealand honeyeaters

Abstract

New Zealand has three species of honeyeaters, all of which feed on nectar, fruit, and ‘insects’. There is disagreement between published data and those becoming available from long-term studies on the relative proportion of these items in the diet. The effect of factors such as body size, dominance status, degree of movement, and time of year on diet and foraging behaviour are outlined, and predictions of differences between species and between sexes are made. A brief comparison of foraging in relation to the flora is made between New Zealand and Australian species.