All the way from Mexico. The yellow bellied sap sucker. His beak hammers
six times a second, wounding the tree deeply and chiseling into the vessels carrying
the precious sugar.
His feathery tongue quickly laps up the weeping liquid on this tree.
Last year he dug hundreds of holes. But now all the wells are dry. It's not enough
to deter a determined sap sucker. He can dig as many as 1000 holes in a season.
And on another tree, he's excavating a nest. If he finishes it and keeps his wells
running sweetly, he could attract the attention of a female. But there's another bird
that could ruin his plans.
A ruby throated hummingbird. He's followed the sap sucker
all the way from Mexico. His wings beat 80 times a second, putting him on a calorific knife edge.
The weeping sap is the best source of sugar currently available
and feeding at 15 sips a second, he can quickly drain a well dry.
He's too fast for the sap sucker to chase off. So the sap sucker opens
more and more wells. Eventually, despite the interruption,
he finishes off his nest, creating a deep hollow in the tree.
Now everything is prepared.
The relationship between hummingbirds and sap-sucking birds like woodpeckers or sapsuckers can indeed be quite interesting and mutually beneficial. Hummingbirds are known to take advantage of sap wells created by sapsuckers, such as the yellow-bellied sapsucker, to access a ready source of energy.
Here's how this interaction typically unfolds:
1. Sap Wells: Sapsuckers, including woodpeckers like the yellow-bellied sapsucker, create small holes or wells in trees to access the sap that flows beneath the bark. These wells provide the sapsuckers with a nutritious food source rich in sugars.
2. Hummingbird Feeding: Hummingbirds, known for their high-energy needs, can benefit from the sap wells created by sapsuckers. They are attracted to the sugary sap and will visit these wells to feed on the liquid.
3. Reduced Effort for Hummingbirds: By exploiting the sap wells made by sapsuckers, hummingbirds save energy that would otherwise be spent on searching for nectar from flowers. This strategy allows them to supplement their diet with a reliable and easily accessible food source.
4. Symbiotic Relationship: While the interaction between hummingbirds and sapsuckers may seem one-sided, it can be considered a form of commensalism, where one species (the hummingbird) benefits from the actions of another (the sapsucker) without significantly harming or benefiting the sapsucker.
This relationship showcases the resourcefulness of hummingbirds and their ability to adapt to different food sources in their environment. It also highlights the interconnectedness of species within ecosystems, where different organisms can indirectly influence each other's behavior and survival.
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