Keywords :
Habitat Use; Diet; Common Green Magpie; Cissa chinensis
บทคัดย่อ :
The Common Green Magpie Cissa chinensis, like all other corvids, is a nest predators of significant importance in tropical evergreen forests that is likely to have an impact on survival and nesting success of other birds in areas where it inhabits. Generally, the Common Green Magpie remains relatively understudied and currently almost no quantitative data on the aspects of its ecology exist. This study was undertaken to describe the bird s nest-site selection, diet and distribution in dry evergreen, dry dipterocarp and old planted forests. The study was conducted at Sakaerat Environmental Research Station, in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, north-eastern Thailand, between April and October 2015. Examination of habitat features at sites selected by the Common Green Magpie for nesting and randomly selected sites, found that the bird place its nests in the understory stratum of the forest in sites with greater understory cover, tree density and sparse undergrowth ground cover. Direct observations on the bird s foraging behaviour showed that it is largely insectivorous, and takes a wide range of animal prey including other birds eggs and nestlings, small lizards and big earthworms, and relatively a small proportion of fruits. Assessment of potential insect biomass abundance in its foraging areas, showed a significant difference between the dry evergreen and old planted forests. Distance transect sampling analysis estimation of the bird s abundance and frequency of occurrence was higher in the dry evergreen than old planted forests; but the bird was not detected in the dry dipterocarp forest. The bird s occurrence in old planted forest is an indication of its response to habitat disturbance and its ability to inhabit sub-optimal habitats. With poor knowledge on the ecology of most nest predators in tropical regions, the results of this study provide baseline data that add to our understanding of one of the major nest predators in tropical lowland evergreen forests and its response to habitat disturbance.
เอกสารอ้างอิง :
Salema, C. A. (2016). Habitat Use and Diet of Common Green Magpie Cissa chinensis Boddaert, 1783 (Master, Prince of Songkla University).
