Journal of Bioresource Management Volume 8 Issue 1 Article 6 Population Fluctuation and Diurnal Time Budgeting of White- Headed Duck (Oxyura Leucocephala) During Winter at Garaet Hadj Tahar (Skikda, North East Algerian) Merzoug Seyf Eddine Department of Biology, Institute of Sciences and Technology, University Abdelhafid Boussouf, Mila Algeria, [email protected] Abdi Soumia Laboratoire Biologie, Eau et Environnement (LBEE), Faculté SNV-STU, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma. BP. 401 24000 Guelma (Algérie)., [email protected] Bara Mouslim Laboratoire Biologie, Eau et Environnement (LBEE), Faculté SNV-STU, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma. BP. 401 24000 Guelma (Algérie)., [email protected] Houhamdi Moussa Laboratoire Biologie, Eau et Environnement (LBEE), Faculté SNV-STU, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma. BP. 401 24000 Guelma (Algérie).), [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/jbm Part of the Behavior and Ethology Commons, Ornithology Commons, and the Population Biology Commons Recommended Citation Seyf Eddine, M., Soumia, A., Mouslim, B., & Moussa, H. (2021). Population Fluctuation and Diurnal Time Budgeting of White-Headed Duck (Oxyura Leucocephala) During Winter at Garaet Hadj Tahar (Skikda, North East Algerian), Journal of Bioresource Management, 8 (1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.35691/JBM.1202.0165 ISSN: 2309-3854 online (Received: Dec 29, 2020; Accepted: Jan 7, 2021; Published: Mar 15, 2021) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Bioresource Management by an authorized editor of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Population Fluctuation and Diurnal Time Budgeting of White-Headed Duck (Oxyura Leucocephala) During Winter at Garaet Hadj Tahar (Skikda, North East Algerian) Cover Page Footnote We are grateful to all volunteers who participate to sampling during study period. Also, we thanks all riparian of Garaet Hadj Tahar. The authors thanks referees who performed the first version of this manuscript. © Copyrights of all the papers published in Journal of Bioresource Management are with its publisher, Center for Bioresource Research (CBR) Islamabad, Pakistan. This permits anyone to copy, redistribute, remix, transmit and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes provided the original work and source is appropriately cited. Journal of Bioresource Management does not grant you any other rights in relation to this website or the material on this website. In other words, all other rights are reserved. For the avoidance of doubt, you must not adapt, edit, change, transform, publish, republish, distribute, redistribute, broadcast, rebroadcast or show or play in public this website or the material on this website (in any form or media) without appropriately and conspicuously citing the original work and source or Journal of Bioresource Management’s prior written permission. This article is available in Journal of Bioresource Management: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/jbm/vol8/ iss1/6 Eddine et al. (2021) . Ethology of white-headed Duck in Skikda. J Biores Manag., 8(1): 46-54 POPULATION FLUCTUATION AND DIURNAL TIME BUDGETING OF WHITE- HEADED DUCK (OXYURA LEUCOCEPHALA) DURING WINTER AT GARAET HADJ TAHAR (SKIKDA, NORTH EAST ALGERIAN) MERZOUG SEYF EDDINE1, ABDI SOUMIA2, BARA MOUSLIM2, HOUHAMDI MOUSSA2 1Department of Biology, Institute of Sciences and Technology, University Abdelhafid Boussouf, Mila Algeria 2Laboratoire Biologie, Eau et Environnement (LBEE), Faculté SNV-STU, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma. BP. 401 24000 Guelma (Algérie). Corresponding author’s email: [email protected] ABSTRACT This study was focused on the ecology and behavior of the White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala) at Garaet Hadj Tahar (Guerbes-Sanhadja, North East of Algeria). Sampling was carried out during two wintering seasons (2017-2018 and 2018-2019). High number of this duck was recorded in 2018/19 (350 individuals). We observed two Oxyura population, the first sedentary, and the second, hosted the Garaet during the wintering season. Diurnal time budget was dominated by the comfort activities the sleeping with a rate of 39.13%. Following by swimming (37.76%), feeding (17.59%) grooming (4.58%), courtship ritual (0.56%) and flying (0.38%). The feeding of white-headed duck is done exclusively by diving. Beside, this waterbird associated between Feeding by diving and grooming in order to minimized energy. The accessory activities such as: courtship ritual, flying were done by this duck at the end of wintering. This results confirm that Garaet Hadj Tahar is considered as wintering site for this threatened species. Biological Conservation plan (BCP) must be applied at level of this wetland in order to manage bioressources and threatened waterbirds. Keywords: White-headed duck, time budget, Garaet Hadj Tahar, ecology, behavior. INTRODUCTION hybridization with Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) is the main long-term threat White-headed Duck (Oxyura to the survival of this species (Green and leucocephala) is the only Oxyura ducks Hunter, 1996; Hughes et al., 2006; Munoz- which is native of the Palaearctic (Green Fuentes et al., 2007). Climate change can and Hunter 1996; Sanchez et al., 2000). also be the cause of decreasing numbers. This waterbirds is globally threatened, Many lakes in the Central Asia dried up classified as "Endangered" by IUCN during the last few years (Hughes et al., (Groombridge, 1993), Birdlife 1999).This duck is also hunted illegally International (2004), European Union during the breeding season. Hunting and Directive on the Conservation of Wild egg collecting is the most likely reason for Birds, and CITES convention (Convention the specie’s extinction in some countries on International Trade in Endangered (Hughes et al., 2006). In the Mediterranean Species). The number of individuals at basin, the extinction of several populations global scale was probably over 100.000 at in the 19th and 20th centuries left an area the start of the 20th century, dropping to very fragmented and occupied by often around 20.000 in 1996 (Green and Hunter, small populations (Houhamdi et al., 2009). 1996), with global population decreased This waterbird is observed to around 8.000-13.000 individuals (Li and regularly in 26 countries and accidentally Mundkur, 2003). Competition and in 22 others (Hughes et al., 2006). Algeria 46 Eddine et al. (2021) . Ethology of white-headed Duck in Skikda. J Biores Manag., 8(1): 46-54 is one of the seven countries with a waterbirds breeding success (Atoussi et al., significant population throughout the year 2013; Amor Abda et al., 2015). (Isenmann and Moali, 2000). The species is recorded in the wetlands of the eastern Data Sampling coast of the country, in particular at the eastern region of El Kala (Ledant and The current study was done during Vandijk, 1987; Lazli et al., 2011; Chettibi two consecutive wintering seasons et al., 2013; Meziane et al., 2014), as well (2017/18 and 2018/19), twice during each as on the Guerbes-Sanhadja complex calendar month between September and (Metallaoui et al., 2009) and in eastern April. This White-headed Duck counts highlands wetland (Houhamdi et al., 2009; were done in early morning from three Seddik et al., 2012). Although the fixed observation points (three volunteers Guerbes-Sanhadja eco complex was the per sampling point achieved counting) third breeding site for this duck in Algeria, using Konuspot ornithological telescope after Lac Tonga and Lac des Oiseaux. The (20x60). The duration of observation was number of nesting was not known and only 15 min (Blondel, 1995). When ducks were one nest was recorded in 1991 (Fishpool near the observation point and their and Evans, 2001) and three in 2006 number did not exceed 200 individuals, (Metallaoui and Houhamdi, 2008). ducks were counted individually. If group The aim of this study was size was more than 200 individuals, visual monitoring the White-headed Duck estimations were carried out by dividing population in Garaet Hadj Tahar (wetland the visual field into several strips, counting of northeast Algeria). We have fixed three ducks in a single strip and extrapolating main objectives, 1) describing population the number to the whole population fluctuation of this waterbird during two (Blondel, 1995; Bara and Segura, 2019). winters (2017/18 and 2018/19), 2) For diurnal time budgeting, individual bird comparing the population number of this was Scanned (Instantanious scan waterbird in relation to previous data sampling) (Altmann, 1974; Losito et al., recorded in this wetland, 3) assessing 1989; Merzoug et al., 2014) for 15 minutes diurnal time budgeting of this duck. every hour between 8 am and 4 pm and activities measured as sleeping, MATERIAL AND METHODS swimming, feeding (either by diving or on the surface), grooming, flying and Study Area courtship. Average time spent on each activity was calculated and the proportion Garaet Hadj-Tahar (36 ° 51'N 07 ° of the time spent on each activity 15'E; 200 m above sea level) is 112 ha calculated against the average of the time freshwater wetland located in Guerbes- used in observation. All these activities Sanhadja eco-complex (Western Numidia, were recorded according to mimetic north-east Algeria) (Bara et al, 2020). The situation of the duck during the main lithological units are essentially observation. Sleeping when duck is in formed by aeolian and alluvial deposits stillness and closing eyes. Swimming (Abdi et al., 2016). The average depth of when duck is in movement on the surface. the water body varies between 0.80 and Feeding when duck is both in movement 1.20 m, increasing following torrential and eating. Grooming when duck is rains. Garaet Hadj Tahar bringing in cleaning feathers. Flying when duck is Numidia as trophic resources storage in leaving the surface of wetland due to particularly gastropods (Planorbis disturbance. Courtship ritual when planorbis) which plays a key role in male/female ducks are in sexual attraction by dancing, vocalizations, sound 47 Eddine et al. (2021) . Ethology of white-headed Duck in Skikda.