Foraging ecology of insectivorous birds in a mixed forest of Hong Kong

In a mixed forest in Hong Kong, the foraging ecology of nine species of insectivorous birds was studied. Leaves and branches of diameters smaller than 2 cm were the most frequently searched microhabitats. Gleaning was the most frequently used foraging method. Apart from Blue-winged Minla and Japanese White-eye, no two species used similar proportions of vertical strata and microhabitats at the same time. Bird species using similar proportion of microhabitats were foraging in different proportion of vertical strata. This niche segregation enabled the bird species to coexist in the same habitat. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch differed from other species by its more frequent use of branches of diameters larger than 2 cm and tree trunks. This might be one of the reasons why this exotic species successfully established a breeding population in the study area.