Systematic foraging by a nectar-feeding bird, the amakihi (Loxops virens).

Abstract

The nectar-foraging behavior of amakihi, a nectar-feeding species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, was studied in the field. The frequency and temporal distribution of visits to particular flower clusters [Sophora chrysophylla, Myoporum sandwicense] showed that individual birds avoided repeated visits to the same cluster and temporally patterned those repeat visits that did take place. This systematic behavior was probably learned, and its existence under natural conditions indicates the potential adaptive significance of phenomena often studied in the laboratory, such as alternation learning and spontaneous alternation.