Of particular interest are three lineages of specialized nectarivorous birds: the hummingbirds ( Trochilidae), sunbirds ( Nectariniidae) and honeyeaters ( Meliphagidae). Most combine it with insectivory for a mixed diet. Nectar-feeding is widespread among birds, but no species consumes nectar exclusively. Birds Ī female ruby-throated hummingbird ( Archilochus colubris) feeds on nectar from a sunflower ( Helianthus annuus) None of the spider groups observed feeding on nectar build webs, they are all wandering species. A few make nectar their primary food source, such as Bagheera kiplingi, a member of the jumping spiders, while others such as the crab spiders, feed more rarely and opportunistically. This behavior is thought to be more common among spiders that live among foliage. There is evidence that some spiders, though normally thought to be exclusively carnivorous, consume nectar indirectly by consuming nectarivorous insects, and/or directly from flowers. They must excrete while on the wing to prevent water loading, and may wait at the nest entrance to evaporate off some of their water load before flying out. Some flying nectarivores, particularly larger bees, do not lose enough water by evaporation while on the wing to offset their high intake due to nectar-feeding, as well as water produced metabolically while flying. Nectar-feeding insects gain enough water from nectar to rarely need to drink, though adult butterflies and moths may engage in puddling in order to obtain dissolved substances not abundant in nectar, particularly salts and amino acids. Two Spot swordtail butterflies ( Graphium nomius) mud puddling for minerals The majority of nectar feeders are insects or birds, but instances can also be found in other animal groups. For example, hummingbirds and hawkmoths have long narrow beaks that can reach nectar at the bottom of long tubular flowers. Flowers often have specialized structures that make the nectar accessible only for animals possessing appropriate morphological structures, and there are numerous examples of coevolution between nectarivores and the flowers they pollinate. Nectar is produced by flowering plants to attract pollinators to visit the flowers and transport pollen between them. Many species are both nectar robbers and pollinators, depending on the plant species they encounter.
Many species are nectar robbers or nectar thieves, performing no pollination while still consuming nectar. Very few organisms consume nectar exclusively over their whole life cycle, either supplementing it with other sources, particularly insects (thus overlapping with insectivores) or only consuming it exclusively for a set period. While it does contain proteins and amino acids, these are found in low quantities, and it is severely deficient in minerals and vitamins. However, nectar is an incomplete source of nutrition. This solution is often diluted either by the plant that produces it or by rain falling on a flower and many nectarivores possess adaptations to effectively rid themselves of any excess water ingested this way. It is essentially a solution of (as much as 80%) the simple sugars sucrose, glucose and fructose, which are easily ingested and digested, representing a rich and efficient source of nutrition. Nectar as a food source presents a number of benefits as well as challenges. In zoology, a nectarivore is an animal which derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. An Australian painted lady ( Vanessa kershawi) feeding on nectar through its long proboscis
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