Subject: [Tweeters] Re: Male Anna's Hummingbird Gathering Nesting Material?
Date: Feb 14 14:43:32 2005
From: Brett Wolfe - m_lincolnii at yahoo.com


Mike,

My interpretation on "male chases female" was that if he is chasing her to the nesting area, than he has a nest pre-built. I could be completely, 100% off base, as that is a slippery-slope of logic.

Now from what you got from Russell, it says the female selects the nest site (doesn't mean she builds the nest alone though - I wish one of the writers would just come out and say it!). So my next question would be: Is the male chasing her to the nest site on purpose, or is that just where she heads to, having pre-selected a likely spot, hoping to copulate with the male?

Brett A. Wolfe
Seattle, WA

Mike Patterson <celata at pacifier.com> wrote:
I don't really see how "male chases female" can be
interpretted as any kind of assistance, but....

>From Russell (1996) in Birds of North America:
"no pair formation; copulation is the only time males and
females are together. Males and presumably females copulate
with >1 mate. Males chase all females that enter their
territory core; some chases terminate with copulation."

"Female selects [nest] site after she locates and begins to
defend a nearby source of nectar."

"Female builds by alternating between plant down ...and
spider webs."

>From Johnsgard (1997) in Hummingbirds of North America:
"Nest building usually takes seven days, but the range may be
from three days to to weeks. Probably most copulations occur
during this time. Trousdale observed copulation during a period
when a female was gathering tent caterpillar webs. The
gathering was interupted when the female flew to a clothsline
and perched. A male had been perching and singing on the
clothsline...."

One of the things hummingbird researchers stress time and
again is how little investment males put into reproduction
past copulation. Males won't even share territories with
females they've mated with.


--- begin ---
"...male chases female to nesting area..." and also "Nest is
varied; oft in oak, also vine, brush, and human-built structures; thick,
well-insulated, of plant down bound with spider's silk, lined with plant down
and feathers. Building continues after eggs laid; lichen added to interior."
--- end ---

--
Mike Patterson
Astoria, OR
celata at pacifier.com

If you want to end war and stuff, you've got to sing loud
- Arlo Guthrie
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