Assessment on the parental care strategy of the yellow-vented bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier in Perak, Malaysia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2022
Abstract
The parental care strategy and diet requirements of the yellow-vented bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier chicks were studied. The assessment was conducted based on the (1) number of feeding bouts (bouts/hour), (2) average time intervals between each feeding ( minutes/bouts) (3) feeding strategies (perch-go-in or direct-go-in) and (4) types of food items carried to the nest to feed the chicks. A total of 6000 minutes of direct observation from a close distance was performed for 10 days from 28th May 2016 until 6th June 2016 between 0700-1900 hours. Out of 816 independent feeding bouts, the parents preferred the perch-go-in ( 80.03%) as compared to the direct-go-in (19.97%) feeding strategy to feed the chicks in their nest. The average time spent for feeding was 7.50 +/- 3.84 minutes / bout (7.50 +/- 1.23 bouts/h), with the least number of bouts during the morning feeding time at 5.68 +/- 3.09 bouts/h. The most frequent food items comprised of invertebrates such as dragonflies (16.15%) and grasshoppers (11.35%) and fruits including Murraya koenigii ( 14.02%). The success of raising both the chicks depended on the nest placement, feeding strategy, food availability, predation risk and commitment of both parents.
Keywords
Life history, Feeding bout, Food types, Chicks, Activity pattern
Divisions
InstituteofBiologicalSciences
Funders
None
Publication Title
Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences
Volume
32
Issue
6
Publisher
Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum
Publisher Location
UNIV VETERINARY & ANIMAL SCIENCES, LAHORE, 00000, PAKISTAN