NESTLING FOOD AND FEEDING FREQUENCIES OF THE BROWN-BACKED HONEYEATER RAMSAYORNIS-MODESTUS AND THE YELLOW-BELLIED SUNBIRD NECTARINIA-JUGULARIS IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND

Nestling food, feeding frequency and brooding behaviour of the Brown-b acked Honeyeater Ramsayornis modestus and Yellow-bellied Sunbird Necta rina jugular is were studied in northern Queensland from August to Nov ember 1984. Male and female honeyeaters made equal numbers of frequent brief feeding visits with food items in the bill; most of which were too small to be identified. Larger items and nestling faecal remains r evealed a wide variety of arthropods from six insect orders and spider s. Spiders and mantids comprised 60% of their food. The feeding freque ncy by both adults averaged 20.3 per h. This rate did not change throu gh the day, with the one or two nestlings, or with nestling age. The f emale sunbird did almost all the feeding. She made comparatively long visits to the nest and fed nestlings more than once with pumping motio ns of the head. Food was entirely spiders (60%) and termites (40%) and possibly nectar. The average feeding rate was 4.2 per h and did not v ary with the number of nestlings. Neither species brooded in the dayti me. The number of faecal sacs removed was comparable to the number rep orted for temperate zone passerines.