HUMMINGBIRD FRUGIVORY IN A COSTA RICAN CLOUD FOREST

Four species of hummingbirds Ppurple-crowned Fairy, Heliothryx barroti ; Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Eupherusa eximia ; White-tailed Emerald, Elvira chionura ; and White-throated Mountain-gem, Lampornis castaneoventris ) were observed feeding on the fruits of the tree Saurauia montana (Actinidiaceae) in secondary cloud forest in the Talamanca mountains of Costa Rica. These fruits are small (1 cm) berries with mucilaginous pulp; feeding occurred via repeated puncture of the epicarp. This is the first record of frugivory in any of these hummingbird species and one of the few records of hummingbird frugivory on plants other than Cactaceae.