A hummingbird species feeds almost exclusively on the nectar of Helicon. flowers. Each hummer has a circuit that takes it from one plant to another, with the bird showing up regularly at a given flower after a set period. It could be 20 minutes more or lean do the mundtrip.
a. In one sentence, explain why this statement could be wrong: "The bird behaving optimally because it is getting more energy than it is expending on the foraging trip,"
b I want to collect information in order to determine if the bird is really foraging optimally an energy gathering sense. What aspects of its foraging behaviour would I need to know and measure order to calculate the net caloric gain for the foraging hummer?
c Hummingbirds have been observed to hesitate before inserting their beaks. helicon flowers to feed. How might this hesitation still be consistent with an optimal foraging hypothesis?