Supplementary data for: Hummingbird ingestion of low-concentration ethanol within artificial nectar

Both frugivores and nectarivores are potentially exposed to dietary ethanol produced by fermentative yeasts which metabolize sugars. Some nectarivorous mammals exhibit preference for low-concentration ethanol solutions compared to controls of comparable caloric content, but behavioral responses to ethanol by nectar-feeding birds are unknown. We investigated dietary preference by Anna's Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) for ethanol-enhanced sucrose solutions. Via binary-choice experiments, three male hummingbirds were exposed to sucrose solutions containing 0%, 1%, or 2% ethanol; rates of volitional nectar consumption were measured over a 3-hour interval. Hummingbirds did not discriminate between 0% and 1% ethanol solutions but exhibited significantly reduced rates of consumption of a 2% ethanol solution. Opportunistic measurements of ethanol concentrations within hummingbird feeders registered values peaking at about 0.05%. Ethanol at low concentrations (i.e., around 1%) is not aversive to An..., See the original publication in Proceedings of the Royal Society B titled \"Hummingbird Ingestion of Low-concentration Ethanol within Artificial Nectar\", to which these files are supplementary., Three (3) data tables provided as separate sheets in spreadsheet format (.xlsx).