Most of us know that insects like bees and butterflies perform the important task of pollination, but did you know that there are at least 1,200 species of pollinating birds worldwide—some of which are native to our Sonoran Desert region?
Just like our favorite cactus bees and queen butterflies, these birds seek energy-rich nectar, which can result in them transferring pollen from flower to flower, ultimately helping fertilize plants so they can produce fruits; however, just as there are similarities, the field of ornithophily (also known as bird pollination) offers substantial opportunities for further exploration.
Recent pollination research has often relied on the concept of “floral syndromes,” which refers to sets of traits that are thought to attract specific types of pollinators. For example, bee-pollinated flowers often have blue, violet, or ultraviolet colors, strong scents, and broad or flat petals that act like a landing platform and flowers that are hummingbird-pollinated are tube-like, red flowers.
But, as we know, nature doesn’t always follow a rigid set of rules.
To further explore bird pollination, Kirsten Keleher, a doctoral candidate at Cornell University, has included us in her research efforts. Kristen is studying the interaction between floral traits and pollinator sensory systems and has visited the Desert Museum over the past two summers to gather data on white-winged doves and Gila woodpeckers and their role in the pollination of the Sonoran Desert’s iconic saguaros.
Kirsten used wildlife cameras for visuals and sound recorders to document bird calls and visits in the area, with the hope to better understand which birds are visiting saguaro flowers, and how they interact with them. “Being able to study this in two quite distantly related bird species is particularly interesting because they might be visiting the saguaros for completely different sensory reasons. I want to approach bird pollination with the sort of understanding that there’s a lot that we still must learn,” says Kirsten.
Since saguaros do not match the expected bird floral syndrome by exhibiting large, white, goblet-shaped flowers, a night-blooming pattern, high fragrance emission and abundant nectar production, they have long been considered a bat-pollinated flower, which leads ecologists to overlook the importance and prevalence of the white-winged doves and Gila woodpeckers that contribute to its pollination.
“Using a very generalist flower like a saguaro, that a lot of species visit, allows us to explore other flowering plants that do not meet the limited list of traits for what should attract birds to flowers, and what birds should be attracted to flowers. The hope is to do more work in the next few years with reconstructed flowers and with specific sensory trials to see how birds respond to specific trait combinations,” says Kirsten.
While much remains to be discovered about avian pollination, Kirsten’s research allows us to better understand the diversity of relationships between birds and flowers and how we can protect this mutual relationship that not only preserves the Sonoran Desert but also sustains the communities and ecosystems that depend on it.
By Gracie Heim, Content Marketing Lead and Kirsten Keleher.