Food habits and the basal rate of metabolism in birds

Summary

The correlation of basal rate of metabolism with various factors is examined in birds. Chief among these is body mass. As in mammals, much of the remaining variation in basal rate among birds is associated with food habits. Birds other than passerines that feed on grass, nectar, flying insects, or vertebrates generally have basal rates that are similar to mammals of the same mass and food habits. In contrast, most invertebrate-eating birds that weigh over 100 g have higher basal rates than equally-sized, invertebrate-eating mammals. The high basal rates of small passerines equal those of small mammals that do not enter torpor and represent the minimal cost of continuous endothermy. Large passerines and small procellariiforms, charadriiforms, and psittaciforms generally have higher basal rates than mammals with the same mass and food habits. The high basal rates of passerines (in combination with altricial habits) may have significance in permitting high post-natal growth rates and the exploitation of seasonally abundant resources. These interrelations may contribute to the predominance of passerines in temperate land environments.