Seasonal Fruit Preferences for Lipids and Sugars by American Robins

• DOI: 10.1093/auk/117.3.709
• Publication Date: 2019-09-06T01:06:40Z
• Authors: Christopher A. Le...; K. Greg Murray; Kathy Winnett-Murray; Paul Bartell; Eric Geyer; Timothy Work
• Keywords: Assimilation (phonology)

Fruit preference by birds is a complex process based upon the morphology and spatial arrangement of fruits on physiological needs capabilities birds. In North America, most can be divided into two groups nutritional content: those rich in sugars relative to lipids, lipids sugars. To investigate how fruit may change seasonally determine if it correlated with state, we designed simple laboratory experiment using American Robins (Turdus migratorius) artificial fruits. During summer autumn, offered eight robins choice between synthetic sugar-rich lipid-rich equal caloric value then measured food intake assimilation efficiency for each type. Overall, preferred during both seasons. had higher than seasons, although increased significantly from autumn. experiments, consumed more but not Coupling indicates that summer, rate energy gain autumn nearly same level as Our results suggest prefer because their fast digestion, enabling rates gain, become important onset