Julien Amsellem

This project investigates niche partitioning and visitation dynamics among sympatric hermit hummingbirds feeding on Heliconia in Yasuní National Park. By measuring species-specific visitation rates across multiple Heliconia species within a mapped 50-hectare forest plot, the study tests whether hermits exhibit floral specialization and whether these patterns are associated with morphological matching between bill structure and inflorescence traits. The research also evaluates how floral display characteristics and local inflorescence density influence visitation, helping clarify how morphology and resource availability shape hummingbird-plant interactions in one of the most species-rich avian communities in the western Amazon.