Meal patterning in the red-billed weaver bird (Quelea quelea).

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Abstract
Isolated male weaver finches (Q. quelea) kept in the laboratory ate small (.apprx. 0.18 g), frequent (M intermeal interval = 42 min) meals. There was a slight increase in feeding rate in the initial phase of a meal (a possible positive feedback effect), but no change in the final phases (no satiety effect). Meal size predicted the duration of the following interval relatively well (M postprandial correlation = 0.64), but there was no relation between duration of the intermeal interval and the following meal size (M preprandial correlation = 0.14). Simulations of changes in crop contents during the day suggested a gradual increase; hence crop filling and emptying is unlikely to be an important signal determining meal initiation and termination. Stochastic models of intake control are discussed; these predict postprandial correlations slightly weaker than those observed in the experimental data.