Question
Question: Which of the following birds sucks nectar from flowers? (a) Parrot (b) Red-vented bulbul (c) S...
Which of the following birds sucks nectar from flowers?
(a) Parrot
(b) Red-vented bulbul
(c) Sunbird
(d) Myna
Solution
They possess an extended, thin, and pointed beak. This type of beak helps the bird to suck the nectar of the flower. Some also prey on insects and spiders, especially when feeding their young ones.
Complete answer:
The sunbirds suck nectar from flowers, belonging to a family called Nectariniidae, of very small passerine birds. They possess extended thin down-curved shot and brush-tipped tube-shaped tongues, both modifications to their nectar ingestion since nectar is a chief food emergence for themselves. Flowers that prevent access to their nectar due to their shape (for example, very long and narrow flowers) are simply punctured at the bottom near the nectaries, from which the birds sip the nectar. Some sunbird species can take nectar by hovering, sort of like a hummingbird, but they typically perch to feed.
As nectar is a primary food source for sunbirds, they're important pollinators in African ecosystems. Sunbird-pollinated flowers are generally extended, tubular, and red-to-orange in color, exhibiting coaxial natural selection with various hummingbird-pollinated flowers within the Americas. An essential dissimilarity is that sunbirds cannot hover, so sunbird-pollinated flowers and inflorescences are generally well made than hummingbird-pollinated flowers, with a genuine landing place from which the bird can eat. Sunbirds are important pollinators for various iconic African plants, comprising proteas, aloes, erica, erythrina coral trees, and bird-of-paradise flowers. Specialization on sunbirds vs other pollinators is assumed to have contributed to plant speciation, including the exceptionally high flora diversity in southern Africa.
So, the correct answer is ‘Sunbirds’.
Note:
Sunbirds are active diurnal birds that generally occur in pairs or occasionally in small family groups. Sunbirds are investigated as attractive birds and willingly enter gardens where flowering plants are planted to withdraw in them. There are a couple of negative interactions, for instance, the Scarlet-chested sunbird is taken into account as a pest in cocoa plantations because it spreads parasitic mistletoes.