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Titre :	Frugivory in central European birds I: Diet selection and foraging (2008)
Auteurs :	Holger Stiebel, Auteur ; Franz Bairlein, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Vogelwarte (46(1) FEB 2008)
Article en page(s) :	1-23
Langues:	Allemand
Résumé :	Facultative frugivory is a common mode of nutrition in central European birds. Despite of this fact, quantitative studies about this subject are barely undertaken. It was the aim of this study to collect quantitative data about central Euopean avian frugivores, their nutrition and their foraging behaviour.Data were collected by watching fruiting plants between 01.06.1997 and 31.12.1999. During this time 480 fruiting plants out of 38 plant species have been observed with standardised methods. The observations were undertaken in the northern part of the federal state of Hesse. Additional bird and fruit censuses were performed in different habitat types.Thirty-six bird species ate fleshy fruits and 34 plant species offered these birds fleshy fruits as nutrition. During coincidental observations, the fleshy fruits of 9 additional plant species could be identified as bird food. Eight of the bird species were seed predators, six other species were mainly pulp predators. Blackbird (Turdus merula), Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris), Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos), Robin (Erithacus rubecula), Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus), Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin) and Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) were the avian frugivores with the largest quantitative impact. Only two of them, Blackbird and Robin, were observed to eat fruit during all four seasons.The diet of the Corvids, the Starling and the Mistle Thrush showed a strong overlap. The fruits of the Wild Cherry (Prunus avium) can be categorised as typical fruits for these species. Blackbird and Redwing ate frequently Haws (Crataegus monogyna), Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca ate especially fruits of the Black Elder (Sambucus nigra). All of the frugivorous bird species foraged mainly from a perch. Only robins foraged by performing flying manoeuvres to a larger proportion (28.8% of all observations). The duration of a feeding visit varied interspecificly. The minimum of the mean duration was 30 seconds in the Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros), the maximum reached 184 seconds in the Mistle Thrush. The duration of feeding visits was obviously influenced by the plant structure. All of five investigated bird species stayed longer in dense woody plants than in light ones. In three of these species, the difference was statistically significant.During a single feeding visit, the average mass of pulp eaten varied between 0.07 g in the Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) and 1.3 g in the Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus). The mean value of pulp taken during one feeding visit was highly correlated to the mean body mass of a bird species. If the body mass of the bird species was taken into account, lighter birds took more pulp per grain body mass than heavier species during a feeding visit. Blackcap and Garden Warbler showed the highest values with a mean mass of fruit pulp of 2.5% of their own body mass.Avian frugivores foraged in interspecifically different microhabitats. While Corvids, Mistle Thrushes and Fieldfares mainly used the higher, outer parts of woody plants, Robins foraged mainly in the inner, lower parts. Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Redwings, Blackcaps, Garden Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats used the inner part of the feeding plants with priority.It is discussed, whether the results of this work represent common patterns of frugivory in central Europe. For this aim, the results of this work were compared with those of a work which was performed from 1980 to 1985 in England. The comparison shows differences of certain nutrition plants in some bird species. This was partly caused by different plant species assemblages in the two areas. Nevertheless, rank of preference of fruits, which can be found in both areas, is very similar. The two frugivorous bird communities corresponded very well.

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