ON THE PATTERNS OF PARENTAL PROVISIONING BYPURPLE SUNBIRD NECTARINIA ASIATICA

摘要

The bird fauna of the Indian subcontinent is well documented but few studies on the provisioning behaviour of Indian birds exist. We studied patterns of parental provisioning exhibited by Purple Sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica) in 18 nests in relation to brood size and nestling age during March to July 2009 in Haridwar (29~0N), India. Both parents fed nestlings but the rate of feeding trips by females was significantly higher than for males. Parental provisioning rates for both males and females were unaffected by brood size but positively correlated with the age of their nestlings.