A native parrot as an invasive plant controller

Generalist psittacines (parrots) can adjust to anthropogenic ecosystems by taking advantage of novel opportunities therein, such as by feeding on introduced plant species. In the city of Ilha Solteira (within the state of São Paulo, Brazil), a native blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) consumes flo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in ecology and the environment 2023-06, Vol.21 (5), p.243-243
Main Authors: Silva, Paulo Antonio, Brito, Lucilene
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino acids
Anthropogenic factors
Ara ararauna
Diet
Indigenous animals
Indigenous plants
Introduced species
Invasive plants
Parrots
Plant species introduction
Plants (botany)
Psittacinae
Seeds
Spathodea campanulata
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Summary:Generalist psittacines (parrots) can adjust to anthropogenic ecosystems by taking advantage of novel opportunities therein, such as by feeding on introduced plant species. In the city of Ilha Solteira (within the state of São Paulo, Brazil), a native blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) consumes flower buds of the African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) to access the calyx water, which is rich in amino acids. Such behavior, considered a dietary innovation is a case of florivory of a non-native plant by a native animal. Florivory diminishes plant fitness by decreasing, and even eliminating, the chances that fruits and seeds will form.
ISSN:1540-9295
1540-9309
DOI:10.1002/fee.2643