Observational learning in hummingbirds

Migratory hummingbirds forage on diverse assemblages of flowers varying in shape, color, and accessibility. Do hummingbirds learn to feed from flowers by observing other hummingbirds? Learning abilities of Ruby-throated (Arch ilochus colubris), Broad-tailed (Selasphorus platycereus), and Rufous (S. r ufus) hummingbirds were studied in the presence or absence of a knowledgeab le tutor. In two sequential trials hummingbirds learned to feed from artifi cial feeders of increasing complexity. Feeders in the first trial had easy access and were colored red at the nectar spout. In this initial trial, hum mingbirds attempted to feed from the artificial feeder regardless of tutor presence, but tutored birds learn to feed more quickly. Feeders in the seco nd trial were uncolored and the nectar spout was surrounded by a long artif icial corolla. Tutored birds again learned to feed more quickly than their solitary counterparts. However, both untutored and tutored hummingbirds lea rned to feed more quickly in the second trial than the first, suggesting th at the initial task of identifying a novel feeding resource is more difficu lt than learning how to access an identified resource.