Keywords :
camera traps,
feeding ecology,
Macaca leonina,
nest predation,
Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve,
Thailand
บทคัดย่อ :
Bird egg predation is widespread in non-human primates. Although nest predation is
often described as opportunistic, little is known about foraging strategies and nest
detection in primates. Since it is the prevalent cause of nest failure in the tropics, birds
select nest sites within specific microhabitats and use different nest types to increase
nesting success. Identifying the nests targeted by the northern pigtailed macaques
(Macaca leonina), an omnivorous cercopithecine species, and known nest predator, will
shine light on nest foraging strategies in primates. The aim of this research was to reveal
if nest predation is a selective or opportunistic feeding behavior. We studied, using
artificial nests and camera traps, the influence of nest type (open-cup vs. cavity),
microhabitat (i.e., understory density, canopy cover, canopy height, ground cover, and
presence vs. absence of thorns and lianas), and nest height, on nest predation by a troop
of northern pigtailed macaques in the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve (Thailand), a
degraded environment. In our study, macaque predation on artificial nests was high; out
of the200nests thatwere set up,112were plunderedbymacaques. Although predation
rates decreasedwith nest height,nest type, and microhabitat hadno significant effecton
predation by macaques. Nest detectability and accessibility did not affect predation
rates. Macaques actively searched for nests in different microhabitats, suggesting that
nest predation by this primate might be considered a selective feeding behavior in this
degraded habitat. Consequently, nest predation by this primate might have important
conservation implications on the population dynamics of forest-dwelling bird species.
Behavior observation methods, such as instantaneous scan sampling, may underestimate
nest predation by primates, a furtive and cryptic behavior.
เอกสารอ้างอิง :
Kaisin, O., Gazagne, E., Savini, T., Huynen, M. C., & Brotcorne, F. (2018). Foraging strategies underlying bird egg predation by macaques: A study using artificial nests. American journal of primatology, 80(11), e22916.
