Nutritional Strategy: Nectarivory in Birds 10 Facts You Should Know

Date: August 22, 2013

By: Christal Pollock, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice)

Keywords: , ,

Categories: Avian,  Lory & Lorikeet,  Parrot,  Passerine, 

Key Points

  • Carbohydrate-rich nectar is a staple of the nectarivore diet.
  • Nectar contains abundant amounts of energy.
  • High vitamin A levels have been reported in many formulated nectars.
  • Several foods are nutritionally similar to nectar.
  • Insects serve as an important source of protein.
  • Pollen is an alternative nutrient source for some nectarivores.
  • Most nectarivores have relatively long, narrow bills and tongues.
  • Nectarivores have relatively short, simple gastrointestinal tracts designed to digest nectar quickly and efficiently.
  • Nectarivores must conserve salts while consuming large volumes of a dilute, electrolyte-deficient diet.
  • Some nectarivores possess exceptionally high metabolic rates.

Although nectar is considered a nutritional reward for pollination, it is probably the most nutrient-dilute food consumed by birds. Nectar meets less than 15% of essential amino acid requirements and is particularly low in methionine. In fact nutrients other than sugars, such as protein, vitamins, trace minerals, and lipids are present in nectar at levels considered inadequate for growth, reproduction, or even maintenance activity . . .

To continue you need to be a LafeberVet.com member. (Français), (Español)

Pour continuer, vous devez être un membre LafeberVet.com

Para continuar, debe ser miembro de LafeberVet.com

Already a LafeberVet Member?

Please Login

References

Cannon CE. Observations on the food and energy requirements of rainbow lorikeets, Trichoglossus haematodus. Australian Wildl Res 6(3):337-346, 1979.

Diamond JM, Karasov WH, Phan D, Carpenter FL. Digestive physiology is a determinant of foraging bout frequency in hummingbirds. Nature 320(6056):62-63, 1986.

Donnelly B. Diet advice for lories and lorikeets. Veterinary Information Network. June 6, 2012. Available at http://www.vin.com/Members/Boards/DiscussionViewer.aspx?documentid=5416842&ViewFirst=1. Accessed Aug 2, 2013.

Ehrlich PR, Dobkin DS, Wheye D. The Birder’s Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York, Simon & Schuster Inc. 1988: 331, 333.

Gartrell BD. The nutritional, morphologic, and physiologic bases of nectarivory in Australian birds. J Avian Med Surg 14(2):85-94, 2000.

Hargrove JL. Adipose energy stores, physical work, and the metabolic syndrome: lessons from hummingbirds. Nutr J 13(4):36, 2005.

Karasov WH, Cork SJ. Test of a reactor-based digestion optimization model for nectar-eating rainbow lorikeets. Physiol Zool 69(1):117-138, 1996.

Kim W, Peaudecerf F, Baldwin MW, Bush JW. The hummingbird’s tongue: a self-assembling capillary syphon. Proc Biol Sci 279(1749):4990-4996, 2012.

Klasing KC. Comparative Avian Nutrition. New York, NY:CAB International; 1998: 3, 7, 84-88.

Koutsos EA, Matson KD, Klasing KC. Nutrition of birds in the Order Psittaciformes: A review. J Avian Med Surg 15(4):257-275, 2001.

McDonald D. Feeding ecology and nutrition of Australian lorikeets. Semin Avian Exotic Pet Med 12(4):195-204, 2003.

McWhorter TJ, Powers DR, Martinez Del Rio C. Are hummingbirds facultatively ammonotelic? Nitrogen excretion and requirements as a function of body size. Physiol Biochem Zool 76(5):731-743, 2003.

Purchase C, Nicholson SW, Fleming PA. Salt intake and regulation in two passerine nectar drinkers: white-bellied sunbirds and New Holland honeyeaters. J Comp Physiol B 183(4):501-510, 2013.

Richardson KC, Wooller RD. Adaptations of the alimentary tracts of some Australian lorikeets to a diet of pollen and nectar. Aust J Zool 38(6):581-586, 1990.

Rico-Guevara A, Rubega MA. The hummingbird tongue is a fluid trap, not a capillary tube. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108(23):9356-9360, 2011.

Roxburgh L, Pinshow B. Ammonotely in a passerine nectarivore: the influence of renal and post-renal modification on nitrogenous waste product excretion. J Exp Biol 205 (Pt 12):1735-1745, 2002.

Tsahar E, Arad Z, Izhaki I, Martinez del Rio C. Do nectar and fruit-eating birds have lower nitrogen requirements than omnivores? An allometric test. The Auk 123(4): 1004-1012, 2006.

Tully TN. Birds. In: Mitchell M, Tully TN (eds). Manual of Exotic Pet Practice. St. Louis, MO: Saunders; 2008. Pp. 267.

Wissman M. The engaging lories and lorikeets. Bird Talk May:65-70, 1997.

Yanega GM, Rubega MA. Hummingbird jaw bends to aid insect capture. Nature 428 (Apr 8):615, 2004.

Further reading

Kalmar ID, van Loon M, Bürkle M, et al. Effect of dilution degree of commercial nectar and provision of fruit on food, energy and nutrient intake in two rainbow lorikeet subspecies. Zoo Biology 28(2): 98-106, 2009.

McWhorter TJ, Bakken BH, Karasov WH, del Rio CM. Hummingbirds rely on both paracellular and carrier-mediated intestinal glucose absorption to fuel high metabolism. Biol Lett 2(1):131-134, 2006.

Wolf P, Häbich AC, Bürkle M, Kamphues J. Basic data on food intake, nutrient digestibility and energy requirements of lorikeets. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) 91(5-6):282-288, 2007.

To cite this page:

Pollock C. Nutritional strategy: Nectarivory in Birds – 10 Facts You Should Know. August 22, 2013. LafeberVet Web site. Available at https://lafeber.com/vet/nutritional-strategy-nectarivory-in-birds-10-facts-you-should-know/