nesting?

[snookerdude]

for several weeks i have been seeing 2 male rt's and one female. recently, the runt male [aka peanut] has been feeding at about twice his normal rate [every 10 mins. as opposed to every 20 - 25 mins.] as he, and others, usually do. he feeds almost exclusively on the shrimp plant while the other two mostly feed on the coral honeysuckle. so i'm wondering if he is feeding young in a nest nearby. he always leaves in the same direction. has anyone ever seen a nest in this area?

[Steve Backes]

It's not believed that the male helps in caring for the young. Only the female was seen near the nest at Lettuce Lake Park (near Tampa) last year. She built it, laid her eggs, incubated, and raised two fledgelings without a male being seen.

It's possible that the male has a territory nearby that requires a lot of defending so he eats a little, then checks his territory, and then returns to eat a little more. Being a "runt" he may be trying to bulk up.