Birds Foraging on Tree Trunks

2 Pages·1999·1.1 MB·

by  V Santharam

MISCELLANEOUSNOTES
SOMEFOODPLATNabTlSeO1F(cCoHntIdT.)ALINTHEPARK Rsatjuadjyi; NWaCtiUona(lIUPCaNrk) wfuhnodekdinidtltyhrfoauciglhitWaitleddloiufre
PlantSpecies Parteaten Remark Institute of India.
M*aNlelyortauusdpihailainpipnidniennsaicsea sIftm+If July 27, 1999 SHRIDHARD. BHAT
*Shorearobusta p+inf Availableandeaten Forestry College,
onlyinApril-May Banavasi Road,
Sporobolusdiander nf
*Stellariamedia stm+lf(nf) Availableandeaten Sirsi (N.K. ) 581 401,
onlyinMarch-April Karnataka,
Terminaliatomentosa If
India.
Urenalobata stm+If GOPALS.RAWAT
Vetiveriazizanioides nf nffromburntstock
Zizyphusxylopyra If,ft Wildlife Institute ofIndia,
Z.mauritiana ft Seenfromcarcass Chandrabani,
Malvaceaemember stm+If Probably
Malvastrum G.P.O. P.B. No. 18,
coromandelianurn Dehra Dun 248 001,
(stm=stem,If=leaf,nf=newflush,ft=fruit,p=petals, Uttar Pradesh,
inf=inflorescence);*Firstrecord,toourknowledge. India.
BIRDS FORAGING ON TREE TRUNKS
6.
On several occasions, while studying orall bythemselves. I reporthere some ofthese
woodpeckers at the Peechi - Vazhani Wildlife observations. It may be stated that there was no
Sanctuary(Thrissurdist., Kerala), Icame across systematic effortto gatherthis data as itwas not
birds other than woodpeckers foraging on tree the focus ofmy studies.
trunks either in association with woodpeckers Elevenspeciesofbirdsfromeightfamilies
Table1 Table I {contd.)
BIRDSSEENFORAGINGONTREETRUNKS BIRDSSEENFORAGINGONTREETRUNKS
Species #Obs. Association Food Species #Obs. Association Food
with consumed with consumed
woodpeckers woodpeckers
Meropidae
Campephagidae
BluebeardedBee-eater* 1 I LargeWood-Shrike 4 1,S,T
{Nyctyornisathertoni)
(Tephrodornisvirgatus)
Capitonidae
Pycnonotidae
SmallGreenBarbet • 2 T;1 RedwhiskeredBulbul* 2 2 T
(Megalaimaviridis) (Pycnonotusjocosus
)
Dicruridae RedventedBulbul* 7 5 T,I
GreyDrongo 1 I {P.cafer)
{Dicntrusleucophaeus)
Muscicapidae
(R£a>c.kpeatr-atadiilseeduDsr)ongo 5 2 I J(uTnugrldeoiBdaebsblsterri*atus) 1 1 T
Stumidae ParadiseFlycatcher* 1 1
WhiteheadedMyna 4 1 I;T (Terpsiphoneparadisi)
(Sturnusmalabaricus)
Corvidae (Note:T-Termites;1-Insects;S-Spiders)
Treepie 2 2 I
(Dendrocittavagabunda)
468 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY. 96(3) DEC. 1999
.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
wereseenforagingontreetrunksin30instances from a dead tree on North Sulawesi, wherejust
during the period September 1991-May 1993 one woodpecker species occurs. He could not
(excludingthethreemonthsJune-August 1992). find instances of such behaviour in the Sunda
The results are summarized in Table 1 Regionwhereatleastsevenwoodpeckerspecies
Birds were seen foraging on tree trunks live sympatrically, and so he suggested that
in all months except November. Many of the where woodpeckers are absent, the spangled
birdswerenoticedfeedingontermites,andquite drongo is able to occupy part of the vacant
a few were also seen feeding on other insects niche.
and spiders. Some of the birds were seen Itis, therefore, interesting to findat least
following the goldenbacked (Dinopium 1 1 species, in addition to the velvetfronted
benghalense) or little scalybelliedwoodpeckers nuthatch (Sitta frontalis), foraging on tree
(Picus xanthopygaeus), often only a few trunks in my study plots in Peechi -Vazhani
centimetres away. Woodpeckers were seen area, where eight woodpecker species also
displacing or attacking these birds on four of occur.
the thirteen instances when they were seen Acknowledgement
together. While six of the eleven bird species
are known to forage on tree trunks, the others This study was supported by the Wildlife
(markedwithasteriskinthetable)arenotknown ConservationSociety,NewYork,USA.
to do so.
SANTHARAM
Whitten(1982)reportedspangleddrongos October 27, 1997 V.
(Dicrurus hottentotus) taking ants from tree 68, First Floor
trunks on Siberut Island, Indonesia, where Santhome High Road
woodpeckers are absent and taking insects Chennai 600 028, India.
Reference
Whitten,A.J.(1982)PossiblenicheexpansionoftheSpangledDrongoDicrurushottentotusonSiberutIsland.Indonesia.
Ibis124: 192-193.
THE NODDY TERN (BROWN NODDY) ANOUSSTOLIDUS
7.
OFF THE SOUTH KONKAN COAST
On September 9, 1997, during one ofmy wing, whilethere was nosign ofany during apre-
infrequent visits to the Vengurla Rocks, which lie monsoonvisitonJune5, 1997.
about9nauticalmilesoffMalwan,Sindhudurgdist., Thenoddy, apurelypelagic tern, is known
Maharashtra, I observed 18 noddy terns on Burnt tobreedintheLakshadweep(Laccadive) Islands,
Island, the landward-most rock of the tiny speciallyon Pitti Atoll, about570km SSWofthe
archipelago.Perchedinsmallgroupsonrockledges VengurlaRocks. Ithasbeenrecordedasastraggler
andonboughsofstuntedvegetationontheleeward onthecoastsofSri Lankaand Pakistan(handbook
sideoftherock,theyshowedlittleinclinationtotake 3:71). Thesightings on Burnt Island appearto be
partinthefrenziedfeedingactivityofan estimated the closest to the Indian mainland yet, and might
morethan4000roseateternsSternadougallii over be an indication of a possible extension of the
,
300brownwinged(bridled)temsSternaanaethetus breedingrangeofthenoddytern.
and over200 large crested tems Sterna bergii that
weremillingaroundtheisland.Onafollow-upvisit February 3, 1998 HEINZ LAINER
on September30, 1997,G. Frost,N. Manvilleand I Praias de St. Antonio,
had a short sighting ofa single noddy tern on the Anjuna 403 509, Goa, India.
JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 96(3), DEC. 1999 469