Others feed heavily on fruit at all times. Some bird
species feed on almost nothing but fruit (plate 10- 3).
In the temperate zone, fruit is a seasonal resource,
occurring from midsummer through autumn, with
some fruits lingering through winter. Many birds
migrating to wintering grounds in the tropics feed
intensively on fruit during fall migration, but because
fruit is ephemeral in the temperate zone, no bird
families have specialized to feed entirely on fruit.
Waxwings (Bombycillidae) come fairly close, but they
also feed on some animal material. In the Neotropics the
most dedicated avian fruit consumers are the cotingas,
manakins, parrots, doves and pigeons, toucans, and
tanagers. Ground- dwelling birds such as tinamous,
wood- quail, and the Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris
ocellata) are also fruit consumers. In addition, fruit is
a major component of the diets of numerous mammal
species, including many bats, rodents, peccaries,Plate 10- 3. This Chestnut- bellied Guan (Penelope ochrogaster)
feeds extensively on fruits picked up on the forest floor and
from tree branches. Birds such as guans and curassows are
important seed dispersers. Photo by Andrew Whittaker.
Plate 10- 4. Agoutis are among the most devoted fruit
consumers in the mammalian tropical community. Photo by
James Adams.Plate 10- 5. This leaf- nosed bat (family Phyllostomidae) is
enjoying its fruit. After it flies away, it may disperse the seeds.
Photo by Sean Williams.
Plate 10- 6. Hyacinth Macaws (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)
crush and eat palm nuts and, like many parrots, are usually
seed predators, destroying rather than dispersing the seeds.
Photo by Nancy Norman.156 chapter 10 tropical intimacy: mutualism and coevolution