| Abstract: | Ants limit bird foraging success via interference or exploitative competition. We compared bird foraging (number and duration of visits, bird species visiting) on ant (Azteca instabilis)‐infested and ant‐free tropical trees (Inga micheliana and Alchornea latifolia). Ants did not affect the number of bird visits or the number of species visiting. Ant presence shortened visit duration (overall and for insectivores) only on A. latifolia where ant activity was higher. Ants may thus hinder bird foraging on some tropical trees potentially shaping how predators affect arthropod communities; yet ant effects depend on bird foraging guild and ant activity. |
