 The arils are an important source of food for birds, including many winter migrants from North America.Local residents such as the masked tityra, bright-rumped attila, black-faced grosbeak and, in Hispaniola, palmchat, are particularly fond of gumbo-limbo fruit, as are migrants like the Baltimore oriole or the dusky-capped flycatcher.It is an especially important local food source for vireos such the red-eyed vireo when ripe fruit are abundant.