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Time-Activity Budgets of Wintering Ferruginous Duck, Aythya Nyroca, at Gajoldoba Wetland, Jalpaiguri, India

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Time-Activity Budgets of Wintering Ferruginous Duck, Aythya Nyroca, at Gajoldoba Wetland, Jalpaiguri, India Turkish Journal of Zoology Turk J Zool (2014) 38: 538-543 http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/ © TÜBİTAK Research Article doi:10.3906/zoo-1304-39 Time-activity budgets of wintering Ferruginous Duck, Aythya nyroca, at Gajoldoba wetland, Jalpaiguri, India Tanmay DATTA* Department of Zoology, Ananda Chandra College, Jalpaiguri, India Received: 24.04.2013 Accepted: 16.02.2014 Published Online: 14.07.2014 Printed: 13.08.2014 Abstract: Results indicate resting as the main diurnal activity of Aythya nyroca, whereas feeding dominated during the night. Other than resting (56.3%), feeding (16.8%) and swimming (15.2%) were major activities of the diurnal time-activity budget, whereas preening (9.4%) and flying (2.3%) were less frequent and occupied a secondary rank. Feeding and swimming were prevalent during the morning and afternoon hours. During midday, most of the ducks indulged in resting. The small amount of time spent on diurnal feeding was compensated by voracious nocturnal feeding (64.6%), which peaked in the middle of the night. Human interference plays an important role in shaping the diurnal time-activity budget. Ferruginous Ducks used the Gajoldoba wetland for foraging and roosting both day and night all through the wintering cycle, which proves that the Gajoldoba wetland is a stable wintering ground for Ferruginous Ducks. Key words: Ferruginous Duck, time-activity budget, Gajoldoba, wintering ground 1. Introduction From an animal’s time-activity budget, we can learn The Ferruginous Duck,Aythya nyroca, is a shy and more about its individual physical condition, social secretive diving duck widely distributed in Asia, Africa, and structure, and environmental conditions (Paulus, 1988). Europe. Ferruginous Duck is a winter visitor to the Indian Time-activity budgets have been used extensively to subcontinent and has been facing a variety of human- provide valuable information on duck habitat use and induced disturbances to its population for a long time wintering strategies (Paulus, 1988; Aissaoui et al., 2011). (Islam, 2003). From the second half of the 20th century Patterns of daily activity and behavior can vary widely its population has undergone a global, large, long-term between species and these activity budgets help us to decline, mainly due to habitat loss and hunting (BirdLife study the life history and ecological adaptations of birds International, 2001). Not only listed as ‘Near Threatened’ on (Hamilton et al., 2002). The amount of time allocated to the IUCN Red List, Aythya nyroca has also been presented as various behaviors is therefore critical in understanding the a priority species in 4 prominent international conservation ecological needs of the species and the pressures acting treaties: the European Union Bird Directive, the Bern upon individuals. The objective of this study was to quantify Convention, the Bonn Convention, and the African- the time-activity budgets of wintering Ferruginous Duck Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (Robinson and at the Gajoldoba wetland, Jalpaiguri, India. Hughes, 2003). Understanding the gravity of the situation, BirdLife International and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust 2. Materials and method jointly adopted an ‘International Single Species Action Plan 2.1. Study area for the Conservation of the Ferruginous Duck’ in 2006 The Gajoldoba wetland (26.763897°N, 88.597498°E) is a and the action plan will be revised in 2015. However, it is barrage-side wetland situated on the left side of the Teesta very difficult to take effective conservation measures unless River in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. With adequate data on the ecology of the species are available an area of about 148 ha, this wetland is a regular wintering (Petkov, 2003; Robinson, 2003). Studies in this area are very ground for 33 winter migrants, Anatidae (17 species) few in number (Azafzaf, 2003; Robinson and Hughes, 2003; being the major group. About 50% of the Gajoldoba Muzaffar, 2004; Houhamdi and Samraoui, 2008; Aissaoui et wetland is open water and the rest is covered with floating al., 2011) and, more particularly, such studies from India vegetation including Eichhornia crassipes, Trapa natans, have not been reported so far. Wolffia arrhiza, Nymphaea odorata, Nymphaea pubescens, * Correspondence: [email protected] 538 DATTA / Turk J Zool Nymphoides cristatum, Jussiaea repens, Neptunia natans, 2.3. Statistical analyses and Hygrophila polysperma. However, infestation of thick A comparison of the magnitude of each activity between floating vegetation (dominated by Eichhornia crassipes) years (among particular dates and time blocks) was made is restricted to only about 20% of the area. Among using t-tests, and one-way ANOVA was used to compare suspended and submerged vegetation, Ceratophyllum each activity among time blocks. For computation and demersum, Utricularia flexuosa, Hydrilla verticillata, analysis, SPSS was used, and results of those analyses were and Vallisneria spiralis are notable. Prominent emergent interpreted using standard statistical procedures. hydrophytes are Ammania baccifera, Cyperus corymbosus, Cyperus cephalotes, Limnophila indica, Scirpus articulatus, 3. Results During the 3-year period of this study, the first Potamogeton nodosus, and Potamogeton pectinatus. Typha Ferruginous Duck was spotted once in 2012 in the last latifolia is also a dominant species of this wetland and was week of September and on 2 other occasions during the found mostly on the elevated portion of the wetland. second week of October. They were regularly seen during 2.2. Recording bird activities the wintering season, mostly in those parts of the wetland Observations were made from a particular vantage point where human disturbance was minimal, where the depth during the period between October 2010 and February of water was not more than 90 cm, and where dense littoral 2013. During this study period, a total of 56 days between vegetation was abundant. After February, Ferruginous October and February were used for diurnal observations Ducks usually leave this wetland and no Ferruginous and only 2 nights (during a full moon) were used for Ducks were spotted after the middle of March. Although nocturnal observations. A Nikon 20 × 82 Fieldscope and thousands of different winter migrants visit this wetland a pair of 10 × 50 binoculars were used for all types of every year, during this study period, the highest number observations and the duration of activity was measured of Ferruginous Ducks recorded was only 158. with a stopwatch. Resting was the main diurnal activity (56.3%) of the Time-activity budgets were quantified weekly using a Ferruginous Duck and that did not vary between years = 1510.7; P < scanned-sample approach (Altmann, 1974; Baldassarre (P > 0.05), but it significantly varied (F5,48 et al., 1988; Losito et al., 1989) over winter cycles. The 0.001) among time blocks (Table 1) with more time spent at rest (mostly sleeping) during the midday hours. The instantaneous behavior was recorded in half-hour intervals Ferruginous Duck spent an average of 16.8% diurnal time between 0600 and 1800 hours for diurnal observations and on feeding and that did not vary between years (P > 0.05). between 1800 and 0600 hours for nocturnal observations. However, feeding activity was intense (approximately Furthermore, a randomly selected focal duck (Altmann, 38%) at the onset of the wintering season, and within 2 1974) was followed for 10 consecutive minutes and its weeks it suddenly dropped to about 25%. It then gradually 5 types of behavior, resting (inactive with eyes open, decreased to the lowest level of around 11% during January, or sleeping), feeding (including dabbling, up-ending, and again increased considerably (to about 16%) after the and diving), preening (including scratching and splash- first week of February (Figure 1). Hourly time-budget bathing), swimming, and flying, were recorded carefully. monitoring from 0600 hours to 1800 hours revealed that A minimum of 10 birds were monitored weekly with care feeding activity significantly varied (F5,48 = 673.02; P < 0.001) taken not to sample the same bird repeatedly. For analysis, among time blocks and was higher in the morning and data were pooled into 2-h blocks beginning at 0600 hours evening hours compared to the middle of the day (Table). and ending at 1800 hours. Swimming was also a major diurnal activity (15.2%) and Table. Mean percentage of diurnal time spent in various activities by the Ferruginous Duck in different time blocks. 0600–0800 0800–1000 1000–1200 1200–1400 1400–1600 1600–1800 Overall hours hours hours hours hours hours Feeding 33.5 20.2 6.8 3.5 12.6 24.4 16.8 Resting 29.1 40.1 78.6 87.4 63.7 38.7 56.3 Swimming 22.2 20.5 11.3 5.7 14.9 16.6 15.2 Preening 13.4 15.3 2.2 1.8 5.9 17.5 9.4 Flying 1.8 3.9 1.1 1.6 2.9 2.8 2.3 539 DATTA / Turk J Zool Flyng Preenng Swmmng Feedng Restng 100 90 80 70 % of 60 tes v 50 t Ac 40 30 20 10 0 16 Oct1 Nov 16 Nov1 Dec 16 Dec1 Jan16 Jan1 Feb 16 Feb Dates of season Figure 1. Percentage of time allocated to different activities by Ferruginous Duck at different parts of winter season. this frequency remained almost unchanged over the years. (0.4%) and flying (1.1%) were performed at very low rates Like feeding, this activity also gained momentum in the and these activities were observed mostly at the beginning morning and afternoon hours, with lower values during and at the end of the night (Figure 2). midday (Table). Preening (9.4%) and flying (2.3%) were secondary activities and significantly varied (F5,48 = 210.8 4. Discussion and F5,48 = 119.25 respectively; P < 0.001) among time The Ferruginous Duck feeds mainly by diving (Green, blocks, with lower values during the midday hours (Table).
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