As Dave indicates, the winter diet of the Prothonotary Warble may certainly include berries.
Lisa Petit in her Prothonotary Warbler life history account in NA Birds online indicates:
A study by Morton (1980) of stomach contents in Panama wintering grounds revealed that 10 % of the volume was fruit.
1980. Adaptations to seasonal changes by migrant land birds in the Panama Canal Zone. Pages 437-453 in Migrant birds in the Neotropics: Ecology, behavior, distribution, and conservation. (Keast, A. and E. S. Morton, Eds.) Smithson. Inst. Press, Washington, D.C
Buckthorn is highly invasive and is often spread by birds. The berries are generally considered a starvation food source, however, since they are toxic and cause diarrhea. This toxicity apparently diminishes after the berries ripen. Buckthorn has an allelopathic chemical in its roots that suppresses the growth of surrounding plants, much like black walnuts do.
Doug Kibbe
Littleton
Lisa Petit in her Prothonotary Warbler life history account in NA Birds online indicates:
"Primarily insectivorous throughout annual cycle (butterflies and moths [Lepidoptera], flies [Diptera], beetles [Coleoptera], and spiders [Araneae]), but also takes mollusks (Mollusca) and isopods (Isopoda). In nonbreeding season can be more opportunistic, feeding on some seeds, fruit, and even nectar in addition to insects and spiders. Breeding-season diet includes mayflies (Ephemeroptera)."
A study by Morton (1980) of stomach contents in Panama wintering grounds revealed that 10 % of the volume was fruit.
1980. Adaptations to seasonal changes by migrant land birds in the Panama Canal Zone. Pages 437-453 in Migrant birds in the Neotropics: Ecology, behavior, distribution, and conservation. (Keast, A. and E. S. Morton, Eds.) Smithson. Inst. Press, Washington, D.C
Buckthorn is highly invasive and is often spread by birds. The berries are generally considered a starvation food source, however, since they are toxic and cause diarrhea. This toxicity apparently diminishes after the berries ripen. Buckthorn has an allelopathic chemical in its roots that suppresses the growth of surrounding plants, much like black walnuts do.
Doug Kibbe
Littleton
No comments:
Post a Comment