Foraging suggests high behavioral flexibility in the blue-winged parrotlet (Forpus xanthopterygius, Psittacidae) in response to fleshy fruit availability

Resumo

Parrots primarily consume seeds and pulp and sometimes flowers, nectar and leaves. Plants usually offer these items seasonally, forcing flexible consumption behavior in parrots, mostly when food is scarce. However, seasonal changes in behavior in the Forpus genus (the small Neotropical parrots) guided by the food supply have still not been identifed. Here, we investigate the foraging patterns of Forpus xanthopterygius (the blue-winged parrotlet) and identify the plants and items it consumes. This information,
together with data on its occurrence, flock size and dietary niche breadth, were used to elucidate whether the behavioral flexibility of this bird is related to shifts in fleshy fruit availability from the wet to the dry season. The data were obtained during two years of systematic sampling (n = 432) along nine roadside transects located in an anthropogenic landscape. Forpus xanthopterygius consumed the seeds, flowers/nectar and fruit pulp (in this order of preference) of 24 plant species (10 exotics) belonging to 18 families. Te dietary niche breadth was narrow, likely because fleshy fruits of Cecropia pachystachya, Maclura tinctoria, and especially Trema micrantha predominated in their diet. Forpus xanthopterygius was shown to be seasonal, being more common in the wet season, when the availability of fleshy fruits was greater. Tis parrot proved to be flexible in some behaviors, perhaps to minimize the negative impacts of the decline in fleshy fruit availability during the driest period. Evidence of this flexibility is the increase in flock size and the number of food plant species, as well as the use of dry fruits, nectar and exotic plants as alternative food sources.