110 SHORT NOTES Forktail 17 (2001) breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata (23.13%), Baya REFERENCES Weaver Ploceus philippinus (29.33%). and Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus (22.76%). Corlett, R. T. (1998) Frugivory and seed dispersal by in Hong In the present study, Red-vented Bulbuls were also Kong shrubland. Forktail 13: 23-27. observed feeding on a number of (88 Dhamke, H. A. (1997) Possible feeding on an unhatched egg by observations in total). These were as follows: small-sized young one of Redvented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer). J. Bombay. Nat. Hist. Soc. 94: 413-414. insects, including mosquitos and mayflies (caught in Dhindsa, M. S. and Toor, H. S. (1990) Feeding ecology of three flight), dipteran larvae, aphids, ants (56.8%); large-sized sympatric species of Indian weaver birds in an intensively culti- insects, including crickets, cockroaches, winged termites, vated area. Pp. 217-236 in J. Pinowski and J. D. Summers-Smith, grasshopers (37.5%); vertebrates (7 to 9 cm in length), eds. Granivorous birds in agricultural landscape. Warsaw: PWN- including house , skinks (5.7%). Birds were also Polish Scientific Publishers. observed to feed upon discarded sweets and over-ripe Dhindsa, M. S. and Saini, H. K. (1994) Agricultural ornithology: an fruits in garbage. Indian perspective. J. Biosci. 19: 391-402. Lever, C. (1987) Naturalized birds of the world. England: Longman. Bulbuls are dominant or important frugivores and Mathew, D. N. (1976) Ecology of the weaver birds. J. Bombay Nat. seed dispersers of open secondary vegetation throughout Hist. Soc. 73: 249-260. tropical and subtropical Asia (Lever 1987, Corlett 1998). Mathew, D. N., Narendran, T. C. and Zacharias, V. J. (1980) A com- Until now very little information was available on the parative account of the food habits of some species of birds af- feeding behaviour of the Red-vented Bulbul (Parasharya fecting agriculture. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. (Suppl.) 75: 1178- et al. 1995, Dhamke 1997). The consumption of leaves 1197. of Medicago sativa was an interesting observation because Parasharya, B. M., Mathew, K. L. and Yadav, D. N. (1995) Commu- nity structure of pests and their diurnal rhythm in ripening leaf consumption is rare in birds. Recently, we also sorghum. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 92: 11-15. observed Red-vented Bulbuls feeding on petals of the Saini, H. K. and Dhindsa, M. S. (1993) Food preference of captive flowers of Bauhinia variegata, Tecomella undulata and Rose-ringed Parakeets: a comparison of two methods. Jpn. J. Pisum sativum in an agricultural area outside the study Ornithol. 41: 39-45. area.

We are grateful to Dr A. K. Chopra, Head, Dept. of Zoology and Environmental Science, for providing departmental facilities. We thank Dr A. K. Pati, Dept. of Biosciences, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, for his comments on the manuscript.

Dinesh Bhatt & Anil Kumar, Department of Zoology & Environmental Science, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar- 249404,

Observations on the Oriental Bay Phodilus badius and range extension in the Western Ghats, India

T. R. SHANKAR RAMAN

The Oriental Phodilus badius is a poorly known corresponds roughly to the distribution of tropical species restricted to the tropical moist forests of south evergreen rainforest, the habitat to which this species is and south-east Asia. Three disjunctly distributed mostly confined (Ali and Ripley 1983). subspecies are known from the Indian subcontinent (Ali Oriental Bay were seen on three occasions and Ripley 1983). In Sri Lanka, the subspecies assimilis between February and June 1998 in Sengaltheri (8°31'N occurs in the wet zone and hills up to 1,200 m (Henry 77°26'E) within the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger 1955, Liyanage 1972, Ekenayake 1994). The species has Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India. All sightings were in tropical also been reported from the Nelliampathy and Anamalai wet evergreen forest at an altitude of 1,040–1,050 m hills of the southern Western Ghats mountains of India above sea level. (subspecies ripleyi, Hussain and Khan 1978, Kannan The first sighting was on 19 February 1998. At 1993, Mudappa 1998). These two subspecies are quite 20h15, an unfamiliar three-noted whistle was heard from distinct in plumage from the other forms that occur in rainforests near the base camp at Sengaltheri. Four , the eastern Himalaya, and north-east hill states observers (Divya Mudappa, N. M. Ishwar, the author, of India (subspecies saturatus), and in South-East Asia and a field assistant) located the calling bird at 20h30. (King et al. 1975, Ali and Ripley 1983, Boonsong The bird was spotted in mid-storey vegetation, perched Lekagul and Round 1991). The distributional pattern on a branch 8–10 m above the ground. Its flight was rt) Forkraill7 (?001) SIIORT NOTES tll

The bird was spottcd in mid-srorcyvegerarion, perched sanctuafles such as Kalakad :rnd Perivar thar conrain on a bfanch 8 10 m above rhe ground. Irs flighr wrs wer evergrccn foresr. silent and ir flew adroitly rhrougl densevegetation and In 19S6, an Oricntal Bay Owl was seen and stands ofsaplings, rall shrubs, uees and climbers. The phobsraphed in the park ol Cannanore crtv rn bnd was observed wirh a poweful,l-cctl flashljght and Kerala (ar 12"N). A tocat newspaper carrieo lwo crose- 7x50 binoculars for neariy 30 minutes from a ojsrance up colour photosraphs of rhe bird, \lhich was ofbetween 8 and 20 m. Y/hile rhe bird lvas callins, irs undoubtedly P 6ad?r6.The bird was said ro have come beakhardly moved. Oni]' a small movcmcnt ofrhe rhroar fiom Bhoolhan in Koluvalli, near Cherupuzha (Anon. was noticeable, and rhe call had a slighrly venrdioquiat 1S96).This record seemsro indicare rhat rhe bird's lange ,l- eflect. We verified thar the bird wc lvere ivarching was rnight extcnd norrh ofrhe Palghar cap ro at lcasr l2"N indccd the calling bird b_vclosc observarion ofbill and (Cannanore and adirccnt u'er foresrsofKodagu disrrjct throat 'novements. Also, rhe bird was observed ca ing in Karnataka st3re).This musr, howeverj be considerecl fron its perch and once as ir flcw to anorhe!perch! wherc tentativc in rhe absenceofinformation onhabitararound rr again resumed calling. The call was a thrce nored the area and onwhethcrrhe birdwas an escapedcaptivc whistle, nol very loud, bur carn'ing for ar least I 00 150 or a vaglanr. The above records suggesr a paicny q m on a quiet nighr.'l he hisrle soundcd like ocgd,-aqa distdbution, but L\e owl may havebeen overlooked from torr, with dle accenr on rhe second nore, which was mtervening areasrhar contain eveqreen foresr.It would the softestnote and inaudiblefrom a distance.The third be worthwhile surveying eversreenlorcsts ofKarnaraka note tapercd off stightly ar rhe end. The calls were rnd "rea..i-h i. rheNilgiri. tor rh<.pe.re. repeateclonce or rwice a minure, puncruared by longer saps after abour rwo or thiee minures.Anorherindivjdual was hcard calling from over 100 m awar'.apparenrty in I tha.k theTamil N.du Fo.cs Dcpr.rmenrfor rcse3rchpcnnns response to rhe bird under observarion.This calt $as Manydranls b M.H. Dharn[raj.n fo.hetp q,ith mnsl3tion ofrhc Ntalayalam heard only at niahr several times in January and ncsspaper afli.le. Ds R. Krn!.n nnd \l Samharam February) and rhen again only in December. helped $nh the litemrure serfch and Drya Mudrppa re!,ewcd he nanlscript.-lhe ;Unrhtl ofEnrironndr The second sishring {'as made by Divya Mudappa and Forcss, Indi., idd dre John D. and Carh.rine T. ,U.cA.thur Foundld,n fun.led th. on 20 April 1gS8at 21h45.The bird wasperched on a low branch above a stream in the rainforesr.The species was seen asain ar rhe same place on t9 June 19S8 (by D. Mudappa, Kabei Kar cupra, and rhe aurhor) and REFERENCES photographed ar close range. The catl described in rhis arriclc seems similar ro Ali, S. rnd Riprey,S D. l\9n3) HdnabaohiI h. bint:.J hIli! a,,t rhar notcd by H. E. McClure, quoted in Ali ancl Ripley Llnrd,. CoDrpr.t cdnbn. Dclhi: Oxfo.d Univcrsnvp.es. (1983):'Aloudl noredwhistlereminiscenrofsomeonc Anonymou! (1996) I'A sue{ rarclr seen low n Snake!ark.l calling his dos, the birds answedng each orher in the J,IatdlaleMd,.t.Dtd tl ScFtcmber1996) cannanor.. (tn forest'. Diffcrenr races of ma),, BoonsonsLckasul a.d Rourrd. (l,)ql) howeverJ have vert' differenr calls, which neeo ro Dc P D 7t a,urlcro trc 6t?s c/ Il,.ld,/ BangkohiSaha Karn Bhaet. ascerrained t\roush sonagram analyses.The call ofpt Ekenajrtc) U. (19c4) Ihe Celku ts.! Oul, prdrlrr badna-dln/rJ sdr,'"I& hr. brcr vaflou.lr de,.ribeo .u.ce*ion c. , Humc, dnothe.recordti.Dr drc Hill,.nc. C4,/,n Bir.tCl,D r\or,r of loud, musical whistles wirh an upward hflecrion' \'hrch 1q94r27-24. (attributedro J.T. Marshaliin Kins.r al. 1S75),andas Henr!) G. M. ( I 955),.1 .d ,r 6r,dfuJ C4t,,. Bombav 'a l'lda O\tord series of eelie, musical, upward inflected lvhisdes, (Boonsons Lekagul and Round 1991). A djfferenr call, Hussrin,S. A. xnd Knau, i\,1.A. R. (19t8) A neq subspccicsof B!_r osl 6!/n6- (Horsiicld)l also ofthis race,is rcndered as kuankn kudnhh ket?kek- lPl.J/xr fton Ircninsltxr Indir. f 3,,rr,r r\lr. IJ^r Sir.. 7.1:l3.l-135 teft, heard most when birds are flying in complete Kxnn.n, R (t991) Rcdbcoveryof the Orientat B!) Olvl pn,r/!J darkness(attribured ro Cairns J in Aii |lnd Ripiey I I8 3) . b,rt^,n teniNuli.India.Fr,*r,il3: 1,1!-t.lS. The subspeciesP,. nplcliwas first reporred from a l(ins. B.,wood.o.k) Il.3nd Dickiny,n, E. C (t9?j)I/ictJ!rid.b single specimen raken in lver evergrcen brorope ar t)1!bnn: d srt HdrAlia L.ndon: Cotliff. Periasolai in the Nelliamparhy hilis of the Anamalais Liyinage, C. (1972) ccylon Ba_voret: One otCcrlon\ r.rcs birds (r0'28 N 76'5o'Ej Hussair and Khan 1978). Ir has since Mudappa,D. (1993)Sigbt record.fthe been recordcd from Karian Shola in rhcAnamalai hills Oricmrl Bar O\r1(1,edl!J bdalJ rt lda, in rhe Anannal.l hrlls,souihe.n ve{en cnrG. (Kannan 1993, Mudappa 1998). Kannan (1993) lndi,.J 8d,r6,_rNdr. ,! r. So. 95r 1.13. predictcd thar rhe speciesmighr occurfurrher sourh, in

.e T. R. Shanh Ramdn, Cen Jor E.olosical Scienccs,IndianInstitutt oJ Scielre,Bansatorc 56A 0i2, India; e,nit: sh an k ar(ti. es.in c.enEL rl