Bamboo-seed specialist refs?

Scott Weidensaul (sweidnsl@pottsville.infi.net)
Fri, 13 Feb 1998 15:25:35 -0600

Can anyone recommend references concerning Neotropical birds that
specialize in feeding on bamboo seeds, and which travel long distances
between flowering stands (i.e.: barred parakeet [Bolborrhynchus lineola],
maroon-chested ground-dove [Claravis mondetoura] and several seedeaters)?

I have Stotz et al's "Neotropical birds: Ecology and Conservation," which
mentions the phenomenon briefly, as does Steven Hilty's "Birds of Tropical
America." A 1995 Smithsonian magazine article on bamboo in Peru mentions
that at the time of his death, Ted Parker was working on "dozens" of bamboo
specialists, but it isn't clear if this meant birds like scythebills
(Campylorhamphus) that feed on invertebrates inside the stalks, or birds
feeding on seeds.

Thanks in advance,

Scott Weidensaul
sweidnsl@pottsville.infi.net
Schuylkill Haven, Pa. USA