Question

Honeycreeper C has broad, sturdy beak; and Honeycreeper D has a long, slender beak. What is the correct foraging habit for the two honeycreepers?

Honeycreeper C breaks hard nuts; and Honeycreeper D feeds on nectar.
Honeycreeper C feeds on nectar; and Honeycreeper D breaks hard nuts.
Honeycreeper C and Honeycreeper D break hard nuts.
Honeycreeper C and Honeycreeper D feed on nectar.

Answer 1

Honeycreeper C, with its broad and sturdy beak, is adapted for breaking hard nuts and is thus a granivore. Honeycreeper D, having a long and slender beak, is specialized for feeding on nectar, hence is a nectarivore.

Step-by-step explanation:

The foraging habits of honeycreepers can be deduced from the morphology of their beaks. Based on the given information, we can infer that Honeycreeper C, which has a broad and sturdy beak, is adapted for breaking hard nuts. This kind of beak is characteristic of seed-eating birds, known as granivores, and is suited for crushing hard, tough seeds. On the other hand, Honeycreeper D, with a long and slender beak, is specialized for feeding on nectar. Such a beak is typical of nectarivores that need to reach into flowers to sip nectar. This aligns with the observation that the seed-eating bird has a thicker, stronger beak which is suited to break hard nuts, whereas the nectar-eating birds have long beaks to dip into flowers to extract nectar.