To defend or to Not defend? To study resource dependent territoriality in a Sunbird community in Anaikatti hills, Western Ghats

Abstract

Sunbirds are excellent model organisms to study resource dependent territoriality or feeding territoriality due to their dependence on nectar which is both renewable as well as quantifiable. It is well established in many of its ecological counterparts such as American hummingbirds of family Trochilidae, Australian honeyeaters of family Meliphagidae, and Hawaiian honeycreepers of the family Fringillidae. This study is exploratory research aimed to find the presence of feeding territoriality in an Indian sunbird community as well as to test the threshold model of feeding territoriality. The study was done in an heterogenous resource landscape which is not quite comparable to previous studies done on acres of land dominated by single plant species. Though the sunbird community agreed to some basic principles, the results reflect a much complex response to changes in flower abundance and intruder pressure.