Hovering Metabolism
Metabolic investigation into the cost of varying floral shapes
What does it cost a hummingbird to hover at a flower? What makes some flowers easier to access than others? For flowers with hard-to-access nectar, can it still be worth it to feed there? These are the questions we are asking with our hovering metabolism project! We are using the union of high speed videography, metabolic measures, feeding data and more to investigate what this could cost. For this project we are housing local Anna's Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) which has given me extensive experience in permitting, housing, and hummingbird husbandry. This work has been featured in a recent Burke Museum research highlight video (see link).
PI: Alejandro Rico-Guevara
Affiliation: University of Washington & Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
