THE SAW-BILLED HERMIT RAMPHODON-NAEVIUS AND ITS FLOWERS IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

The large Saw-billed Hermit Ramphodon naevius and its foraging behavio ur on a variety of ornithophilous flowers were studied at one site in the Atlantic rainforest in southeastern Brazil. The flower assemblage visited by this endemic hermit throughout the year is composed mainly by epiphytes and herbs, Bromeliaceae and Heliconiaceae being the stapl e foodplants. Most of the plant species present steady-state, long-tub ed and high-reward flowers, and bloom sequentially. The Saw-billed Her mit is a year-round resident and traplining forager, behaves aggressiv ely over its feeding routes, and excludes conspecifics and other hummi ngbird species from its main flower sources. This large hermit regular ly visited and pollinated about 45% of the native ornithophilous plant s at the study site, thus acting as the major pollinator on this flowe r assemblage.