Nectar plants visited by hummingbirds in an urban area of southern Brazil

The urban landscape is often designed for its aesthetic appeal, yet the vegetation in these environments performs crucial ecological functions in maintaining biodiversity. In this study, we evaluated the availability of nectar-producing plants utilized by hummingbirds in an urban area of southern Brazil. This study examines the richness of plant species, the ratio of native to exotic plants, their flowering seasons, and the hummingbird species that inhabit this urban area throughout the year. The urban area evaluated here follows the common pattern of having a combination of native and exotic plants being utilized by generalist hummingbird species. We recorded twenty-seven plant species used by six hummingbird species in the urban area. Exotic plant species represented a more stable supply of resources over the months, although a native plant species was visited by the highest number of hummingbird species. In addition to heavy anthropogenic pressure, the local urban vegetation evaluated is often subject to intensive management, with frequent pruning of trees and shrubs, as well as plant species suppression and replacement, making the resource supply less stable and predictable over time.