We review the published information on postnatal growth rates of hummingbirds (13 species), and report previously unpublished records for nine additional trochilid species. The allometric relationship based on the log10-transformed data of K (logistic growth rate constant) and body mass has a slope of −0.313 and an intercept of −0.346 (n = 22; r2 = 0.18; P = 0.049). The allometric relationship has a slope of −0.366 and an intercept of −0.327 (n = 20; r2 = 0.30; P = 0.013) if the two Nearctic records are excluded. Visual inspection suggests that higher K-values occur in Nearctic hummingbirds (x̄ = 0.422; n = 2) compared to Neotropic species (x̄ = 0.269; n = 20). We suggest a revival of studies collecting basic life history information such as postnatal growth rates of birds, especially of tropical taxa.
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1 December 2008
Postnatal Growth Rates of Hummingbirds: Review and New Records
Bernd P. Freymann,
Karl-Ludwig Schuchmann
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The Wilson Journal of Ornithology
Vol. 120 • No. 4
December 2008
Vol. 120 • No. 4
December 2008