Foraging Behaviour of Migrant pied Flycatchers, Ficedula hypoleuca, on Temporary Territories
- 1 June 1980
- journal article
- research article
- Published by JSTOR in Journal of Animal Ecology
- Vol. 49 (2), 507-521
- https://doi.org/10.2307/4260
Abstract
Pied flycatchers F. hypoleuca on a migration stop-over in Portugal were accumulating reserves at a rate of 0.34 g d[day]-1 for a trans-Saharan flight. Marked birds occupied limited feeding ranges which were defended against conspecifics but not other species. The flycatchers foraged for active arthropods with the predominant items of diet being ants, wasps and beetles. Capture attempts were clumped in time which was taken to mean that prey were clumped in space. Within a tree a bird''s feeding rate declined exponentially. For one bird the time taken to find a new feeding place varied 4-fold between observation sessions. This could not be explained by time of day or temperature and was taken to reflect prey availability. In poor feeding conditions the bird stayed longer in each tree or nearby after encountering food. To this extent variations of feeding strategy appeared consistent with optimal foraging theory though direct measurements of prey dispersion were lacking. The recovery of prey patches following a bird''s departure was such that most occurred within 10-15 min. Birds did not move round their territories on a random walk but tended to proceed in a circuit (albeit with many reversals). Probably as a result, trees were revisited after intervals of about 12 min. Territory circuiting behavior spaced repeat visits to trees in such a way as to enhance the bird''s rate of encounter with prey. It was not possible to assess the net benefit of exclusive territoriality and circuiting to the flycatchers since the costs of defense could not be estimated.Keywords
This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
- Systematic foraging by a nectar-feeding bird, the amakihi (Loxops virens).Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1978
- Prey selection and the search strategy of the spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata): A field study on optimal foragingAnimal Behaviour, 1977
- On satiation curvesAnimal Behaviour, 1977
- VARIATION IN THE DISPERSION OF REDSHANK TRINGA TOTANUS ON THEIR WINTER FEEDING GROUNDSIbis, 1976
- Ecological Implications of Resource DepressionThe American Naturalist, 1976
- The development and ecological significance of feeding techniques in the reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)Animal Behaviour, 1976
- Population Control by Territorial Behaviour in Red GrouseNature, 1967
- AUTUMN AND SPRING WEIGHTS OF SOME PALAEARCTIC MIGRANTS IN CENTRAL NIGERIAIbis, 1966
- TERRITORY IN THE PIED FLYCATCHER MUSCICAPA HYPOLEUCAIbis, 1956