3.1 Birds visiting both fruiting trees
In my 2021 study, each tree species was visited by thirty-one species of birds, and twelve of those species visited both fruiting trees. However, of those twelve, eight species visited one of those trees much more frequently (>75% of visits), and eleven species spent more than 60% of their total number of feedings in one of them.
Of the four species that did visit both trees more frequently, two had very few visits — Boat-billed Flycatcher (Megarynchus pitangua ) with two visits, and Ochre-bellied Flycatcher (Mionectes oleagineus ) with four visits. However, two other species had more visits. Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus ) visitedHuevos de Caballo seven times and Gumbo Limbo five times, and Chestnut-capped Warbler (Basileuterus delattri ) visitedHuevos de Caballo fifteen times and Gumbo Limbo eleven times. Nevertheless, both birds fed more frequently on one of the trees. Great Kiskadee fed on Huevos de Caballo fruits on 70% of its total feedings, whereas Chestnut-capped Warbler fed on Gumbo Limbo fruits on 77% of its total feedings.
[The 2022 study showed that both Ochre-bellied and Boat-billed Flycatchers fed much more frequently on Gumbo Limbo earlier in the year]. Thus, it is clear that even for those species that fed on both trees, one tree’s fruit was clearly favored as a food resource.