In the "Finding Food" Episode of His Series Trials of Life

question 12

Essay

In the "Finding Food" episode of his series Trials of Life, Sir David Attenborough features a hummingbird species that feeds almost exclusively on the nectar of the Heliconia flower. He explains that each hummingbird has a circuit that takes it from one plant to another, with the bird arriving regularly at a given flower after a set period. It could take 30 minutes, more or less, to complete the round trip. The hummingbird does not immediately insert its beak into many Heliconia flowers but hesitates before approaching the flowers more closely. How might this hesitation still be consistent with at least one optimal foraging hypothesis? (Consider the different factors that might contribute to true optimality.)

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Definitions:

Avoidance Motivation

An emotional and cognitive state that drives an individual to evade or escape negative outcomes, threats, or discomfort.

Relatedness

In psychology, the need to engage in warm relations with others, considered a fundamental aspect of human motivation that influences behavior and mental health.

Autonomy

The capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision independently.

Competence

The ability to do something successfully or efficiently, often linked to skills and knowledge in a specific area.