First Documented Interspecific Association Between Changeable Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus Cirrhatus) and Leopard (Panthera Pardus) in Rajaji National Park, North India

Екологія Беркут 28 Вип. 1-2 2019 37 - 38

FIRST DOCUMENTED INTERSPECIFIC ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CHANGEABLE HAWK-EAGLE (NISAETUS CIRRHATUS) AND LEOPARD (PANTHERA PARDUS) IN RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK, NORTH INDIA

Ritesh Joshi, Kanchan Puri

Environment Education Division, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Jor Bagh Road, New Delhi, 110003, India  Ritesh Joshi, e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract. The Changeable Hawk-eagle is a large bird of prey, it hunts down for small mammals, reptiles and birds. Scavenging on carcasses of dead wild animals has been reported only recently. On 16 May 2018, we observed an individual of this eagle feeding on the carcass of Spotted Deer, which was hidden in a tree by a Leopard. Key words: feeding, scavenging, interspecific relations.

Перша документована міжвидова асоціація між мінливим чубатим орлом (Nisaetus cirrhatus) і леопардом (Panthera pardus) в національному парку Раджаджі (Північна Індія). - Р. Джоші, К. Пурі. - Беркут. 28 (1-2). 2019. - Мінливий чубатий орел – великий хижий птах, який ловить живу здобич. Поїдання трупів тварин відмічалося рідко. У 2018 р. в національному парку Раджаджі спостерігали птаха, який годувався на рештках оленя аксиса, захованих на дереві леопардом. Ключові слова: живлення, поїдання падла, міжвидові відносини.

Interspecific feeding associations or gleaning is a wide- Rajaji National Park (RNP; 29.51°–30.15° N, 77.52°– spread phenomenon between primates and ungulates (Nau 78.22° E, 302–1,000 m a.s.l.) is a crucial wildlife habitat tiyal, Huffman, 2018). However, such associations between in the Shivalik landscape, forming the north-western limit birds of prey and carnivore mammals are more rare. They of the range of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus), Tigers can arise for varied reasons including reduced predation risk (Panthera tigris), Great Pied Hornbills (Buceros bicornis) and and improved foraging success (King, Cowlishaw, 2009). King Cobras (Ophiophagus hannah) in the Indian subconti- Interspecific associations range from closely related species nent. It falls within the Gangetic Plains biogeographic zone to species from different orders and occur across a wide range and upper Gangetic Plains province (Rodgers et al., 2002), of taxa (Stensland et al., 2003). and a major portion of this area is dominated by tropical moist Of the nine species of Asian Hawk-eagles (genus Nis deciduous forest. aetus), two are found in India (Birdlife International, 2018). While studying the ecology and behavior of Asian El- The Changeable or Crested Hawk-eagle (N. cirrhatus) is ephants in the RNP, on 12 June 2007 (640 hrs), an individual the most widespread, ranging from India eastwards through of Changeable Hawk-eagle was observed feeding on the Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Greater Sundas (Clark carcass of a fawn of Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor) in Chilla et al., 2018). The Leopard (Panthera pardus) has the widest distribution of all large felids and occurs in a variety of habi- tats (Myers, 1976); it is well capable of living and thriving almost in any environment (Prater, 1971). Leopards are only the feline known for their adaptability to climb up the tree easily, mainly to protect their large prey from other predators and scavengers. The Changeable Hawk-eagle is a large raptor that pri- maryly hunts down its prey (Ali, Ripley, 1987). Though, this species is capable of tackling fairly large mammals and game birds (Naoroji, 2006), its scavenging on carcasses of dead wild animals has never been reported (Joshi, Kasambe, 2013). Recently, some of the workers have recorded the scavenging of Changeable Hawk-eagle on the carcasses of the large mammals (Joshi, Kasambe, 2013; Pierce et al., 2014; Bhandari, Goyal, 2018). Scavenging is a well-documented strategy for securing food in numerous and diverse taxa and communities distributed globally across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Beasley et al., 2012). The occurrence of scavenging, including the role of facultative scavengers has been under appreciated across many taxa, in part due to the lack of long-term or intensive studies (Selva, Fortuna, 2007). In this note, we report on an incident of interspecific association in Photo 1. Changeable Hawk-eagle in the Chilla forest of the which both the Changeable Hawk-eagle and Leopard were Rajaji National Park. 12.06.2007. recorded feeding on a fresh dead Spotted Deer (Axix axis), Фото 1. Мінливий чубатий орел у лісі Чілла національного which was hidden by a Leopard in a tree. парку Раджаджі.

Photo 2. Changeable Hawk-eagle scavenging on the carcass Photo 3. Leopard feeding on the carcass of Spotted Deer of Spotted Deer, hidden by a leopard in Gohri forest of the sitting on the tree, where the remains of feed were hidden. Rajaji National Park. 16.05.2018. 16.05.2018. Фото 2. Мінливий чубатий орел на трупі оленя аксиса, Фото 3. Леопард поїдає рештки оленя аксиса, заховані захованого на дереві леопардом. ним раніше на дереві. forest of the RNP (29.580°N, 78.124°E) (photo 1). However, References it was not known who killed the deer whether the eagle itself Ali S., Ripley S.D. (1987): Compact handbook of the birds of India and Pa- or any other carnivore. The site from where the incident was kistan together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. documented was a riparian corridor of the river Ganges. Oxford University Press, Delhi. Thereafter, almost after a decade, on 16 May 2018 (240 hrs), Beasley J.C., Olson Z.H., DeVault T.L. (2012): Carrion cycling in food while transversing across the Gohri forest of the RNP, an webs: comparisons among terrestrial and marine ecosystems. - Oikos. 121: 1021-1026. individual of Changeable Hawk-eagle was observed feeding Birdlife International (2018): Data Zone, Nisaetus. http://datazone.birdlife. on the carcass of Spotted Deer, which was hidden in a tree org/species/results?thrlev1=&thrlev2=&kw=nisaetus&fam=0&gen= (Indian Cherry (Cordia dichotoma)) by a Leopard (30.001°N, 0&spc=&cmn=®=0&cty=0; Accessed on 31 December 2018. Bhandari A., Goyal N. (2018): Changeable Hawk-eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus 78.288°E) (photo 2). We watched the incident for a while and scavenging. - Indian birds. 14 (5): 159-160. continued to our trail. Since we were aware that the Leopard Clark W.S., Boesman P., Marks J.S. (2018): Changeable Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus had killed the animal and hidden its remains, we were curi- cirrhatus). - Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. del Hoyo J., Elliott A., Sargatal J., Christie D.A., de Juana E. (Eds.). Lynx Edicions, ous to observe the spot again. On way back, we recorded an Barcelona. Website: https://www.hbw.com/node/53175; Accessed on adult Leopard feeding on the same carcass (740 hrs) sitting on 31 December 2018. the same tree (photo 3). It was noteworthy to record such a Joshi A., Kasambe R. (2013): Creasted hawk-eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus feeding on nilgai Boselapus tragocamelus fawn carcass. - Indian birds. 8 (1): 14. scavenging behaviour of Changeable Hawk-eagle on the feed King A.J., Cowlishaw G. (2009): Foraging opportunities drive interspecific of Leopard, which reveals on the interspecific interactions associations between rock kestrels and desert baboons. - J. Zool. 277: (passive symbiosis) among both the species. 111-118. Although Changeable Hawk-eagle is known as a bird Myers N. (1976): The leopard Panthera pardus in Africa. IUCN Monograph No. 5. Morges, Switzerland. of prey who attacks and kills small mammalian species and Naoroji R. (2006): Birds of prey of the Indian subcontinent. Om Books some records of species’ scavenging on remains of carcass International, New Delhi. of wild animals exist, this account constitutes the first ever Nautiyal H., Huffman M.A. (2018): Interspecific feeding association between central Himalayan langurs (Semnopithecus schistaceus) and Himalayan documentation of interspecific association, which reveals black bears (Ursus thibetanus), in a temperate forest of the western Indian on the passive symbiosis between Changeable Hawk-eagle Himalayas. - Mamm. Study. 43: 1-6. and Leopard. Since RNP forms an important repository of Pierce J.A., Sukumal N., Khamcha D. (2014): A Yellow-throated Marten Martes flavigula feeding on a Red Muntjac Muntiacus muntjak carcass. - diverse fauna and is home to several threatened avifaunal Small Carnivore Conservation. 51 (1): 76-78. species, long-term scientific studies are needed to map the Prater S.H. (1971): The book of Indian animals. Bombay Natural History distribution and ecology of Changeable Hawk-eagle in dif- Society and Oxford University Press, Mumbai. ferent ecosystems. Rodgers W.A., Panwar H.S., Mathur V.B. (2002): Wildlife Protected Areas in India: a Review (Executive Summary). Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India. Acknowledgements Selva N., Fortuna M.A. (2007): The nested structure of a scavenger com- munity. - Proc. R. Soc. Lond. (Biol.). 274: 1101-1108. Thanks are due to Mr. Veeru Negi for assisting us in col- Stensland E., Angerbjorn A., Berggren P. (2003): Mixed species groups in lection of field data. mammals. - Mammal Rev. 33 (3): 205-223.