Abstract
Food transfer (allofeeding) is part of courtship and bonding behaviors of several bird species in varied families worldwide. Bonding behavior among parrots and other birds includes mutual preening and food transfer. Herein, I report on water transfer (allodrinking) in a couple of Rainbow Lorikeets Trichoglossus moluccanus in a mangrove at urban Sydney, Australia. The couple drank water accumulated in a mangrove branch hole, after which the male preened the female’s nape. Then, the couple interlocked their bills crosswise and bobbed their heads slightly. The birds disconnected briefly, the female with a liquid layer over the tongue including the brush tip. The couple resumed bill interlocking, a large drop visible under the male’s tongue. As the crosswise bill movements proceeded, the male showed a drop within the bill and the female has a liquid layer over the bill edge. Only liquid transfer was noticed, no food particles. Rainbow Lorikeets feed mostly on nectar and pollen and mate for life, and I expect that lorikeets allofeed with nectar transfer while bonding. I suggest that the same applies to water transfer between the couple, and hypothesize on the situation suitable for the derivation of water sharing from courtship feeding.
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Acknowledgments
I thank Marlies Sazima for her loving support in the field, and Giulia D’Angelo for the help with the figures. I thank the anonymous reviewers and the Area Editor for their time and help to improve the manuscript.
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Communicated by Lilian Manica
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Sazima, I. Wet kiss: water transfer as part of couple bonding in Rainbow Lorikeets?. Ornithol. Res. 29, 46–49 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43388-021-00039-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43388-021-00039-0