Re: Bamboo-seed specialist refs?
wildlife@pixi.com
Sat, 14 Feb 1998 09:25:57 -0600
At 03:25 PM 2/13/98 -0600, you wrote:
> 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
>
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I do not know of any references specifically, but have you done a
literature searched on Mannikins (Lonchura spp), Parrot-finches (Erythrura
spp), firetails and fringillid finches.
S. Reilly