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Notes on the Diet of Swifts, Kingfishers and Allies in Eastern New South Wales

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Notes on the Diet of Swifts, Kingfishers and Allies in Eastern New South Wales VOL. 17 (4) DECEMBER 1997 203 AUSTRALIAN BIRD WATCHER 1997, 17, 203-210 Notes on the Diet of Swifts, Kingfishers and Allies in Eastern New South Wales by A.B. ROSE, Associate, The Australian Museum, 6-8 College Street, Sydney, N.S.W. 2000 (present address: 61 Boundary Street, Forster, N.S.W. 2428) ·summary Dietary records for the White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus, Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo oovaeguineae, kingfishers Todiramphus spp., Rainbow Bee-eater Merops omatus and Dollarbird Eurystomus orienta/is in New South Wales were obtained from observations and an analysis of pellets, prey remains and the stomachs of dead birds. The diet of the Kookaburra was 81 % insects by number and 95% by frequency of occurrence in stomachs: mostly beetles and orthopterans, with a variety of other invertebrates (mostly arthropods) and a few small vertebrates (mainly reptiles) . The Sacred Kingfisher T. sanctus preyed on arthropods (mostly beetles and orthopterans) and a few reptiles: 72-81 % insects and 17-20% lizards in the breeding diet. The other species ate insects; the Forest Kingfisher T. macleayii also ate spiders and skinks. Introduction Previous dietary records for Australian swifts (Apodidae) , kingfishers (Halcyonidae), Rainbow Bee-eater Merops omatus and Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis have been listed by Parry (1970), Rose (1973), Van Home (1987), Barker & Vestjens (1989) and Lepschi (1993). This paper presents supplementary data obtained from an examination of the stomach contents of birds found dead (often on roads) or accidentally killed and forwarded to wildlife agencies. Regurgitated pellets of some species were also examined, and observations and collections of prey remains below nests were made for some. Species examined were White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus, Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae, Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii, Red-backed Kingfisher T. pyrrhopygia, Sacred Kingfisher T. sanctus, Rainbow Bee-eater and Dollarbird. Methods Dead specimens were frozen, and later aged and sexed by dissection. Stomach contents, pellets and other prey remains were examined with a hand-lens and binocular microscope. Food items were identified from reference material and with the aid ofCSIRO (1970) and Moore (1980), and the number of individuals determined by counting skeletal parts. Incidental observations are mine unless stated otherwise. Two active nests of the Sacred Kingfisher were observed. One nest with chicks was found at Mt Colah (33 °40 'S, 151 °07 'E) near Sydney on 30 December 1984, and observed opportunistically for two days. On 31 December I found prey remains and two pellets under the nest. I placed a plastic sheet on the ground below the entrance to collect pellets and prey remains; these were collected on most days, sometimes twice per day (morning and afternoon), until 7 January when the nest was found empty. The stomach contents of a nestling found dead below the nest on 2 January were also analysed. Another nest with chicks was observed at Forster (32 °11 'S, 151 °31 'E) on 1 January 1987. A plastic sheet was also placed beneath this nest and pellets and remains were collected almost daily until18 January, when no more material was found . A fledgling was perching nearby on 23 January. White-throated Needletail Five specimens were killed by flying into overhead wires (three died after a few days; their stomachs were therefore empty). Stomach contents: 1. Cowan (33°36'S, 151 °10'E), 31 December 1972 (M. Tame), very fat subadult female: beetle (Coleoptera), ant (Formicidae) and remains of other insects. 2. Dorrigo (30°21'S, 152°43'E), 1980 (no other data), very fat: stomach full of winged ants (Formicidae, all of one species) and four beetles (Coleoptera, all of one species). AUSTRALIAN 204 ROSE BIRD WATCHER Table 1 Diet of the Laughing Kookaburra in eastern New South Wales 1966-1986, from the stomach contents of road-killed and other dead birds, and incorporating the data of Rose (1973): 24 birds for n prey individuals, 39 birds for n stomachs (the latter including volumetric stomach analyses, see Appendix 1). Data are presented as the minimum number of prey individuals (n) and percentage of these, and number (n and % frequency) of stomachs in which prey types were found. Prey species Prey individuals Stomachs with prey n % n % Beetles (Coleoptera): scarabs (Scarabaeidae) 11+ 9 8 21 ground-beetles (Carabidae) 3 2 4 lO weevil (Curculionidae) 1 1 3 8 bess beetle (Passalidae) I I 1 3 Tenebriona larvae 1 3 elaterid larva I I I 3 unidentified 4 3 7 18 total beetles 21+ 17 19 49 Orthopterans: mole-crickets (Gryllotalpidae) 17 + 14 7 18 crickets (Gryllidae) 6 5 8 21 locusts (Acrididae) 5+ 4 11 28 grasshoppers (Tettigoniidae) 6+ 5 5 13 grasshoppers (Eumastacidae) 2 2 1 3 unidentified 2+ 2 5 13 total orthopterans 38+ 31 21 54 Moths (Lepidoptera): adult 4 3 9 23 caterpillar 6 5 6 15 total lO 8 13 33 Ants (Formicidae) unidentified 2+ 2 I 3 Campo notus 16 13 1 3 total ants 18+ 15 2 5 Bug (Hemiptera) unidentified 1+ 1 1 3 Pentatomoidea 1 1 1 3 total bugs 2 + 2 2 5 Cockroaches (Blattodea) 4+ 3 5 13 Mantids (Mantidae) 4 3 8 21 Stick-insect (Phasmatidae) 1 1 I 3 Fly (Diptera ) larvae I 3 Unidentified insects 2+ 2 6 15 Total insects 100+ 81 37 95 Spiders (Araneae) 9 7 10 26 Centipede (Chilopoda) 1 1 1 3 Crayfish (Crustacea) 1 1 1 3 Unidentified arthropods - 2+ 2 2 5 Gordian worm (Nematomorpha) 1 1 1 3 Snails (Mollusca) 4 3 3 8 VOL. 17 (4) DECEMBER 1997 Diet of Swifts, Kingfishers and Allies 205 Table 1 continued Prey species Prey individuals Stomachs with prey n % n % Frog I 1 1 3 Skink (Scincidae) 3 2 5 13 Snake 1 3 House Mouse Mus domesticus 1 1 2 5 - Total vertebrates 5 4 8 21 Total 123+ 39 Bread 1 3 Grass 4 10 Feather (own?) 1 3 Observation: Forster, 29 November 1987: hawking winged termites (Isoptera) with Dollarbirds. Laughing Kookaburra Stomach contents: A count of individual prey items in stomachs (Appendix 1, combined with data in Rose 1973) revealed a diet predominantly of arthropods: 81% insects (17% beetles, 31 % orthopterans, 15 % ants, 8 % lepidopterans [moths and caterpillars], 11 % other), 7% spiders, and 4% vertebrates (mostly lizards) by number, with a few other invertebrates (Table 1). Arthropods also predominated by frequency of occurrence in stomachs: insects occurred in 95% of stomachs (beetles in 49 %, orthopterans in 54%, moths and their larvae in 33%, mantids in 21%, cockroaches in 13%), spiders in 26%, and vertebrates in 21 % (lizards in 13%), with various other invertebrates in a few stomachs (Table 1). Human food scraps occurred in one stomach, and grass in four (10%, probably swallowed accidentally with prey). Averaging the volumetric data for individual specimens for each region (Appendix 1) revealed that: (a) on the coast (all year) beetles and orthopterans predominated in stomachs by volume, followed by caterpillars and spiders; (b) on the western slopes of the Great Divide (in autumn) beetles and their larvae and orthopterans predominated, with smaller volumes of mantids and snakes; (c) in agricultural areas on the western plains (in autumn) beetles, moths and mice predominated. Observations: L Wahroonga (33 °43 'S, 151 °08 'E), 6 September 1972: one killed two nestling New Holland Honeyeaters Phylidonyris novaehollandiae that were nearly fledged, and took one away. 18 September 1972: one took spiders (Araneae) fleeing from a bushfire. 13 November 1971 (J.A. Rose): one observed swallowing a frog . II November 1974: one ate 16 earthworms (Annelida) washed out by rain; one also observed eating worms 15 November. 2. Tuncurry (32 °10 'S, 152 OZ9'E), 15 January 1989: three juveniles being fed by five adults, mainly with Christmas beetles Anoplognathus and one Toe-biter Laccotrephes tristis (Nepidae, Hemiptera). 3. Forster, 26 October 1990: one held a juvenile (10 em long) Eastern Bluetongue Tiliqua scincoides, bashed it, then dropped it in long grass and left it. 9 October 1993: one held a 30-40 em long Marsh Snake Hemiaspis signata; one fed a juvenile with a large scarab beetle (Scarabaeidae). March 1988: one held a 60 em Yellow-faced Whip Snake Demansia psammophis. Forest Kingfisher Stomach contents: Yamba (29°27'S, 153°20 'E), 1980 (M. Mitchell), adult male: two wolf spiders Lycosa. AUSTRALIAN 206 ROSE BIRD WATCHER Pellet: South Grafton (29 °43 'S, !52 °57 'E), 4 January 1981 (G. Clancy): one individual each of Black Beetle Heteronychus arator, weevil Chrysolopus, grasshopper (Orthoptera), bug (Hemiptera), sk.ink (Scincidae). Red-backed Kingfisher Stomach contents: Forbes (33 °24 'S, 148 °01 '1_?), 1983 (per D. Turner): beetle remains. Sacred EJngfisher Two previous records of stomach contents (Rose 1973) are not listed here. Most of the 57 road-, window- or cat-kills were received between 19 September and 12 April. One bird overwintered at Bobbin Head in 1971 (pers. obs.) and one was killed by a cat at Sutherland on 28 June 1983 (both suburbs of Sydney). Stomach contents: I. Toongabbie (33 °47 'S, 150°58 'E), December 1981 (A.K. Morris), fledgling: one weevil (Curculionidae), one scarab beetle. 2. Bouddi National Park near Gosford (33 °28 'S, 151 °27 'E), 6 January 1973 (B. Booth), adult male: beetle remains. 3. Wahroonga, 10 January 1976: remains of beetle and bugs. 4. Wahroonga, 17 January 1976, adult male, killed by cat: two Grass Skinks wmpropholis guichenoti and grasshopper remains. 5. Bilgola (33°45 'S, 151 °17'E), 23 January 1976 (E. Edmonson), fledgling: a trace of beetle and some skink scales. 6. Pymble (33°47'S, 151 °09'E), 10 February 1975: one sk.ink, one grasshopper and some beetle remains (mainly weevil). 7. South of Forster (32 °!8 'S, !52 °31 'E), 1987 (no other data), subadult male: one beetle and two small cicadas (Cicadidae).
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