Hindawi International Journal of Biodiversity Volume 2018, Article ID 9509785, 7 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9509785

Research Article Behavioral Pattern of Endemic Sri Lanka Grey ( gingalensis) within the Breeding and Nonbreeding Seasons

Iresha Wijerathne and Sriyani Wickramasinghe

Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale, Sri Lanka

Correspondence should be addressed to Sriyani Wickramasinghe; [email protected]

Received 24 August 2017; Revised 2 November 2017; Accepted 3 January 2018; Published 11 March 2018

Academic Editor: Alexandre Sebbenn

Copyright © 2018 Iresha Wijerathne and Sriyani Wickramasinghe. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Te are among the most extraordinary looking in the world. Out of two of hornbill, the Ocyceros gingalensis is the only endemic grey hornbill in Sri Lanka. Tis study was conducted in Mihintale Sanctuary which is comprised of secondary dry mixed evergreen forest patches and semiurbanized area from 2013 to 2015. Ad libitum focal sampling was used to construct an ethogram for the behavior of (SLGh). Te study recorded 35 behavioral events in 11 acts under 4 types of their activities. Courtship and mating activities were recorded within the study period. Food items were changed throughout the parental care period. Within this period chicks were ofered sufcient food comprised of fruits and fesh. Tese revealed that the nesting of the SLGh in suburb areas is not good sign since it potentially indicates the loss of adequate breeding conditions in the forest. Conservation of SLGh depends on protection of trees and tree cavities as an important ecological niche.

1. Introduction Rafnesque in 1815 [10]. Tese birds are common in the forestedareasofthelowcountrydryzoneaswellaswetzone Tere are 55 diferent species of hornbills which were found [11]. Normal size of the Sri Lankan grey hornbill is more or throughout Asia and Africa but there is no similar genus less similar to black crows with prominent large bill which which could fnd both of these continents [1]. 31 species of can be used to separate both sexes of them. Males are always hornbills already present within Asian continent and among bigger than the females, though the extent to which this is true them two species present in Sri Lanka. Due to large body size varies according to species [12]. Bill of the female is grayish [2, 3] and monogamous behavior hornbills can be designated or dull black in color with a creamy yellow patch on the as keystone or fagship species in some countries [1]. Also they upper mandible while male birds have yellow color beak with are considered to be one of the most important seed dispersal a black color patch on the upper mandible. Without these birds [3, 4] in the ecological habitats and play an important prominent characters there are no other variations between role in forest dynamics because they disperse seeds of many them for frst sight identifcation. Commonly the forest areas forest trees, especially the large seeded ones [5–7], and many of low country dry and wet zones Sri Lanka grey hornbills serve as “mobile links” [8] in the food-web organization for couldbeobserved.Teyusuallyform5-6individualsinfocks rain forests [9]. in nonbreeding season [13] in tall forests where hanging Sri Lanka grey hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis) is the only creepers and lianas ofer easy perches. It ofen inhabits strands endemic hornbill species found in Sri Lanka. According to of tall trees close to river beds in the more remote areas IUCN categories they are considered as the least concern of the low country [14]. In terms of breeding biology, both species which can be categorized into family Bucerotideae, species require tree cavities, and these are not common theoldworldbirds.TefamilyBucerotidaewasintroduced among human habitations, due to the absence of mature old (as Buceronia) by the French polymath Constantine Samuel trees. Tus the general records of breeding have all come from 2 International Journal of Biodiversity

Table 1 Type of behavior Behavioral act Behavioral event Cleaning Preening, bill cleaning, wing stretching, pufng plumage, sand bathing, scratching Self- Foraging Picking fruits, darting, pouncing, killing and feeding, searching, holding maintenance Shelter seeking Standing posture, sitting posture, roosting, perching behavior Elimination Defecation Defense Attacking, pecking on glass windows, long aggressive calls Pair bonding Touching beaks, feeding each other Reproductive Courtship and mating Intercourse behavior Nest searching, carving the entrance, covering up the entrance, incubating , nest guarding, Nest selection regurgitating, feeding the female and the brood, nest cleaning Territorial Territorial display Charging each other, aggressive calls, showing of behavior Collision with glass Other behaviors Looking at glass window, colliding with it in a high speed window forests or semiforested surroundings. Detailed scientifc, and the chicks during breeding period. To study the breeding systematic breeding biological studies of this species still behavior three successful nest cavities were selected and time remain largely undocumented in Sri Lanka [15]. Also the budgeting was conducted for focal nest during each of the two information base to determine their distribution and status breeding cycles. remains somewhat inadequate. Tough the Sri Lankan grey Number of frequencies that the male visits the nest, hornbill distributed both wet and dry zones in the country, amount of food that it carries to the nest, and the types of food no prior studies have been carried out on their behavioral it carries to the nest were recorded at each nest location. Te ecology. Tus the current study has been conducted aiming observations were made using Bushnell 10 × 50 binoculars at studying breeding and other behavioral patterns of grey from the ground, from a standpoint which ofered a good hornbill in dry zone. viewofthenestaswellasthesurroundingarea.

2. Methodology 3. Results and Discussion 2.1. Study Area. Te study was conducted within Mihintale Basically life cycle of Sri Lankan grey hornbill within the Sanctuary in Mihintale Divisional Secretariat, Anuradha- year was divided into three diferent phases. Tose are pura District, North Central Province Sri Lanka, at about ∘ � �� ∘ � �� prebreeding, breeding, and postbreeding phases. From the 8 21 04.63 Nand8030 11.24 E. Preliminary survey has beginning of the year they started the courtship behavior been conducted for positioning nest cavities and locating which is included in prebreeding phase. Te courtship starts 2 fruiting trees within 4.0 km area which consisted of both at beginning of January. Te hornbill family is characterized urbanized and forests areas. Biodiversity of this area is very by an incubation period closely correlated with body size high with endemic foral and faunal species. Te area is legally and by an unusually long nestling stage [1]. Nest sanitation protected by forest department, wild life department, and observed during the present study was similar to the reports archeological department together. made by [9] for Great Hornbill and Narcondam Hornbill Te behavioral study was conducted within 2013 to 2015 Aceros narcondami,respectively. to cover up both breeding and nonbreeding behavior of the Sri Lanka grey hornbill. Mist nests were laid at selected places 3.1. Ethogram. Te following ethogram was conducted for to capture the birds and 9 birds were ringed by using colored the Sri Lanka grey hornbill including diferent behavioral plastic rings prior to the study to allow individual identifca- events in—and acts under—major types of behavior (self- tioninthefeld.Nineringedbirdswereusedtofocalsampling maintenance behavior, locomotion behavior, reproduction method [16]. Scan sampling method was used for the obser- behavior, and territorial display) (Table 1). vation of 4 hornbill focks within 0600–1800 hours in two- hour categories with 10-minute intervals at selected places 3.2. Self-Maintenance. Six foraging events are documented where these hornbills were actually foraging. All the activities basically. Tese include piking which is the event where the performed by the selected birds in the focks were recorded in bird uses the elongated beak to pick the ripped fruits from the stem and leaf note for the further analysis and the focus did trees (Figure 1). Pouncing could be observed when hornbill not assigned any meaning or motivation to them [17]. captured the small . Quickly grasp the animal while Previously nest locations were found at the beginning fying and then perch to kill the prey for eating. Sometimes of the breeding season. To locate the nest cavities the fecal it shares the prey but most of the time in breeding season patches under the nest cavities were used or it was done by thefemalebirdgotgreaterchancetohavethepreyalone following male bird when it is carrying food for the female herself. International Journal of Biodiversity 3

Kak, Kak,,, Kak calls uttered [11]. Mumbling calls are also signifcant during resting posture. Also the alarm calls are defned as those calls which function to alert others to the presence of potential danger, such as presence of predators [20, 23].

Locomotion. No more terrestrial locomotion patterns were recorded. Mostly arial locomotion was observed. Hornbills Figure 1: Fruit picking by male at the edge of a branch. arenotfyingfrequently,theyusuallyfylongdistances,and heights of the fight could be 5–10 m above the ground. Tey also performed short fights from one tree to the adjacent one. Elimination. Sri Lanka grey hornbill defecates with an upward Gliding behavior was recorded when it is fying from height tailjerkwhileperchingonatreeandspeciallywithinthe to the lower height mostly also for the long distance traveling. breeding season female bird and the juveniles defecates out of the nesting cavity for keeping the cavity clean. 3.3. Reproductive Behavior. During courtship, the female’s majorbehaviorwaspreeningthefumeswhilethatofmale Shelter Seeking and Resting. Standing posture (Figure 2) can was perching. Courtship feeding and grappling of bills with be described as standing on both legs in the same position for clapping wings observed in the present study are similar to observing around and sometimes on land (Figure 3) as well as observations of Kannan & James (1997) for Great Hornbill. on a tree branch. While they are resting in the middle of the Interesting behavior was that male keeps ofering the female day time, sitting and resting (Figure 4) could be observed. fruits and pieces of bark and mud pellets. Te male always carries a fruit in its bill which is ready to be delivered to the Perching. Tis can be considered the primary resting behavior female. Even when the female does not accept anything being of the hornbills as the most other birds. When perching ofered, the male keeps ofering the food (Figure 7) to the on warm weather, Sri Lanka grey hornbill ofen seeks silent silent female. When the male and female are in pairs, they shade. SLGh normally selected fruiting trees or shady trees treat each other by passing fruits and pieces of barks, bill grap- for perching. Purpose of perching on trees is the resting pling, touching bills (Figure 8), and even pulling each other’s or foraging. Neem (Azadirachta indica), Palu (Manilkara tail [24]. Tese behaviors were observed during courtship. hexandra), and Pihimbiya (Filicium decipiens) trees were used Beforematingthefemalespendsmostofhertime by them specially for foraging purposes. It was also observed (Figure 9) preening her body feathers and basking in sunlight. that cleaning beak was also associated with the perching. Mating (Figures 10(a) and 10(b)) was taking place at the end of Perching in pairs supports the pair bonding behavior too. February. Te female becomes less and less active and stays in Preening. Aferafeedingsessioncompletedbillcleaning(Fig- thenesttreeorfollowsthemaletonearbytreeswhenthemale ure5)istakingplace.Itrubsthebeakagainstthetreebranch is foraging. Te female shows inactive behavior (Figure 12). in closing or opened bill. Preening (Figures 6(a), 6(b), and Te male also ofers her pieces of dry bark, which she tosses, 6(c)) is also characteristic way of cleaning feathers. Closed juggles with her bill, and then breaks it into pieces. Mating beak was used for the preening tail feathers by bending happens in very short period and produces were their own whole body to backward. Te outer surface of the wing is calls during this period. preened by bending the neck sideward without any move- Under normal circumstances, a male hornbill induces ment of the wing [18]. a female bird to enter a cavity during the breeding season [25].Te nesting season lasted for three months, from March Allopreening (see [19]). A bird preening another bird’s wing to June, as [26]. Te hornbills started to was recorded in Sri Lanka grey hornbill behavior during prepare themselves for breeding in early January, when such courtship period. prenesting behavior as nest-cavity searching [27], mating, and courtship feeding were recorded. Both male and female Wing Stretching. Te bird stretches out feather in forewings hornbills were noticed peeping into tree cavities, one afer the and tail alternatively while resting on a tree branch [20]. other,andthiswasofennotedandcontinueduntilthefemale Pufng plumage or showing plumage also can be observed enters into the nest cavity. It has been suggested that the at the end of the preening session. darknessofthecavitytriggersahormoneinvolvedinmolting. Bathing is uncommon activity for the Sri Lanka grey In the study area, females entered their cavity in the hornbills; there is only one record about sand bathing on beginning of March and some late nests were also recorded the ground. Sun bathing or water bathing was not observed in April. As soon as the female entered the cavity she started during study period. cleaningthenestandobservedherthrowingoutallthewaste materials lef in by the previous user. Later, excreta of the Vocal Communication. Information passed among the ani- chicks were tossed out by female with her beak through the mals basically by signaling each other [21]. Vocalization is nest slit and the female ejecting her own excreta through the onemajorwayofsignalingbyusingseveralsounds.Tecalls cavity entrance was observed. Te female started sealing the of hornbills are loud and vary distinctly between diferent cavity entrance with her bill using mud, cattle dung, and dry species [22], Kaa, Kaa, Kaaa calls and also sometimes Kak, tree bark delivered by the male and her own fecal matter. 4 International Journal of Biodiversity

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 2: Searching around before entering the cavity with food for the juveniles.

Figure 3: Ground perching. Figure 5: Diferent ways of preening feathers.

Troughout the nesting period the task of the male is to keep feeding (Figure 11) the chick and the female inside the cavity. For the observed 7 nests of grey hornbill, the nesting period averaged approximately 104 ± 6 days. Begging calls of the nestlings were heard on an average of 40 ± 7 days afer the female entered the cavity. Clutch size could not be recorded. Te female emerged on average 76 ± 5 days afer sealing in and the nestlings fedged an average of 13 days afer the female emerged. Two fedglings from one nest and the one from another nest were recorded. Te newly fedged chicks were smaller in size than the adults, with fresh plumage and undeveloped casques. Food supplied by male is comprised of 90%ofplantfoodsinmorninghoursand69%animalfoodin the evening (Figure 13). Food items were changed throughout the parental care period. Within this period chicks were ofered sufcient food like fruits of Manilkara hexandra, Figure 4: Resting on a tree branch. Azadirachta indica, sp., and Loxococcus species, rice, International Journal of Biodiversity 5

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 6: Te closed beak was used for the preening tail feathers by bending the whole body to backward.

Figure 7: Fruit holding with a long curved beak. Figure 8: Beak touching by both before mating.

area which is regularly used by an animal such as a bird by and fesh foods such as Calotes versicolor,someinsects,and defending actively the others but living space is the same worms. While considering the types of feeds, comparatively except active defending [28]. Most of the time Sri Lanka higher amount of plant materials was used to feed during grey hornbill shows the territorial behavior by making the morning hours than the evening and gradually it shows aggressive calls to other birds who came across its territory. greater variation to higher amount of animal parts during afernoon section (Figure 14). Other than these pieces of Defense. With large body size of the hornbills, small or information, nest site locations, nest site characteristics, and medium sized birds are not attacking these birds during the important remarks were kept. study period. And also there is only one recording of defense When the chicks were grown enough, female bird was of Sri Lanka grey hornbill with the Malabar pied hornbills at broken out from the cavity and then both adults lef to forage the same nesting tree with the loudly Kaaaaak Kaaak Kaaa... [21]. When the chicks come out where the postbreeding calls. Te surrounding threats were slowly scanned by the period started, parental care was considerable feature which male bird before reaching the nest which guarantees the was observed from them due to the way of taking care of their security of the juveniles. juveniles. Te adults fed the chicks for more than a week, but later they started to feed themselves and few long distances 4. Conclusions and Remarks following their parents. Te SLGh is not very active bird while considering most 3.4. Territorial Behavior. Its territory is the entire area preferable behaviors. But it has great variety of behaviors; defended by a bird at a given time of its life. Territory is the mostofthemareuniquebehaviors.Tebirdsarevery 6 International Journal of Biodiversity

Female

Male

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Frequency of activities (%)

Mate Preen Feed Fecal pass Plumage show Eat Figure 9: Food ofering by male to the female. Open mouth Call Look around Perch Beak scrap

Figure 12: Te frequency of activities of both male and female per day within the period of 0600–1800 hours.

8% 9%

83%

(a) (b) Fig Figure 10: Matting. Animal Nonfg

Figure 13: Average amount of three types of food items fed within the day time of 0600–1800 hours.

removing favorable trees for SLGh with deforestation looks only major problem which can afect the life cycle of SLGh with food and nesting cavities. Te SLGh acts as a mobile linker as well as seed disperser of the habitat. Tus the con- servation of hornbills assumes greater importance in preserv- ing the entire ecosystem in especially dry zone forests.

Disclosure Te abstract “Behavioral Study of Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis) in Semiurbanized Area Mihintale” of this abstract was presented in World Biodiversity Congress, Figure 11: Nest feeding. Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2014. alert, always searching around its habitat, also bit aggressive. Conflicts of Interest Poaching or killing SLGh was not recorded within the study periodandalsonestsitepredationwasnotrecorded.But Te authors declare that they have no conficts of interest. International Journal of Biodiversity 7

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