Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-5g6vh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T21:12:08.502Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ecological and environmental factors affecting the foraging activity of the White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis (Hume, 1878) in Bhutan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 January 2021

PEMA KHANDU Open the ORCID record for PEMA KHANDU [Opens in a new window] ,
GEORGE A. GALE  and
SARA BUMRUNGSRI
PEMA KHANDU
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla90110, Thailand. Department of Science, Wangbama Central School, Ministry of Education, Genekha, Thimphu11001, Bhutan.
GEORGE A. GALE
Affiliation:
Conservation Ecology Program, School of Bioresources & Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology, Thonburi, Bangkok10150, Thailand.
SARA BUMRUNGSRI*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla90110, Thailand.
*
*Author for correspondence; e-mail: sara.b@psu.ac.th
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis (WBH) is critically endangered, but we lack data on many aspects of its basic ecology and threats to the species are not clearly understood. The goal of this study was to analyse WBH foraging microhabitat selection, foraging behaviour, and prey preferences in two river basins (Punatsangchhu and Mangdechhu) in Bhutan which are likely home to one of the largest remaining populations of WBH. We also explored the relationship between the relative abundance of the WBH and prey biomass catch per unit effort within four foraging river microhabitats (pool, pond, riffle and run). Prey species were sampled in 13 different 100-m thalweg lengths of the rivers using cast nets and electrofishing gear. Riffles and pools were the most commonly used microhabitats; relative abundance was the highest in riffles. The relative abundance of WBH and prey biomass catch per unit effort (CPUE) also showed a weak but significant positive correlation (rs = 0.22). The highest biomass CPUE was observed in riffles while the lowest was found in the ponds. From the 97 prey items caught by the WBH, 95% of the prey were fish. The WBH mainly exploited three genera of fish (Garra, Salmo, and Schizothorax) of which Schizothorax (64%) was the most frequently consumed. This study provides evidence in support of further protection of critical riverine habitat and fish resources for this heron. Regular monitoring of sand and gravel mining, curbing illegal fishing, habitat restoration/mitigation, and developing sustainable alternatives for local people should be urgently implemented by the government and other relevant agencies. Further study is also required for understanding the seasonal variation and abundance of its prey species in their prime habitats along the Punatsangchhu and Mangdechhu basins.

Keywords

dietforaging ecologyWhite-bellied HeronArdea insignisSchizothoraxBhutan
Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , September 2021 , pp. 420 - 437
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acharja, I. P. (2020) Evaluation of nest habitat, site preferences and architecture of the critically endangered White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis in Bhutan. Bird Conserv. Internatn. 30: 599–617.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Agnew, D. J., Pearce, J., Pramod, G., Peatman, T., Watson, R., Beddington, J. R. and Pitcher, T. J. (2009) Estimating the worldwide extent of illegal fishing. PLoS One 4(2): e4570.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Altmann, J. (1974) Observational study of behavior: sampling methods. Behaviour 49: 227–267.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arunachalam, M. (2000) Assemblage structure of stream fishes in the Western Ghats (India). Hydrobiologia 430: 1–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, E. C. S. (1926) The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Second edition. London: Taylor and Francis.Google Scholar
Baker, M. C. (1979) Morphological correlates of habitat selection in a community of shore birds (Charadriiformes). Oikos 33: 121–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bancroft, G. T., Gawlik, D. E. and Rutchey, K. (2002) Distribution of wading birds relative to vegetation and water depths in the northern Everglades of Florida, USA. Waterbirds 25: 265–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baschuk, M. S., Koper, N., Wrubleski, D. A. and Goldsborough, G. (2012) Effects of water depth, cover and food resources on habitat use of marsh birds and waterfowl in boreal wetlands of Manitoba, Canada. Waterbirds 35: 44–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beddington, J. R., Agnew, D. J., Clark, C. W. (2007) Current problems in the management of marine fisheries. Science 316: 1713–1716.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
BirdLife International (2018) Ardea insignis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22697021A134201407. Accessed online 13 September 2019 from https://www.iucnredlist.org/fr/species/22697021/13420140.Google Scholar
Campos, F. and Lekuona, J. M. (1997) Temporal variations in the feeding habits of the Purple Heron Ardea purpurea during the breeding season. Ibis 139: 447–451.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campos, F. and Lekuona, J. M. (2001) Are rice fields a suitable foraging habitat for Purple Herons during the breeding season? Waterbirds 24: 450–452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cezilly, F. and Boy, V. (1988) Age-related differences in foraging Little Egrets, Egretta garzetta . Col. Waterbirds 11: 100–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choi, Y. S. and Yoo, J. C. (2011) Factors affecting feeding activity of Grey Herons in a reservoir during the breeding season. J. Ecol. Field Biol. 34: 357–363.Google Scholar
Choudhury, A. (2000) The birds of Assam. Gauhati, India: Gibbon Books and World Wide Fund for Nature–India.Google Scholar
Dema, T., Towsey, M., Sherub, S., Sonam, J., Kinley, K., Truskinger, A., Brereton, M. and Roe, P. (2020) Acoustic detection and acoustic habitat characterisation of the critically endangered White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) in Bhutan. Freshw. Biol. 65: 153–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dimalexis, A., Pyrovetsi, M. and Sgardelis, S. (1997) Foraging ecology of the grey heron (Ardea cinerea), great egret (Ardea alba) and little egret (Egretta garzetta) in response to habitat, at 2 Greek wetlands. Col. Waterbirds 20: 261–272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dorge, T., Högstedt, G. and Lislevand, T. (2014) Nest distribution and nest habitat of the Tibetan Partridge (Perdix hodgsoniae) near Lhasa, Tibet. Avian Res 5: 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dorji, C. (2016) Habitat assessment of White-bellied Heron at Punatsangchhu river basin, Bhutan. MSc dissertation, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India.Google Scholar
Dorji, J. (2011) Protecting White-Bellied Heron habitat: extent of anthropogenic threats and people’s attitude towards their conservation in Bhutan. BSc dissertation, College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Bhutan.Google Scholar
Draulans, D. and Van Vessem, J. (1985) Age-related differences in the use of time and space by radio-tagged Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea) in winter. J. Anim. Ecol. 54: 771–780.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fasola, M. (1984) Activity rhythm and feeding success of nestling Nigh Heron Nycticorax nycticorax . Ardea 72: 217–222.Google Scholar
Fasola, M. (1994) Opportunistic use of foraging resources by heron communities in southern Europe. Ecography 17: 113–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fu, Y., Chen, B., Dowell, S. D. and Zhang, Z. (2016) Nest predators, nest-site selection and nest success of the Emei Shan Liocichla (Liocichla omeiensis), a vulnerable babbler endemic to southwestern China. Avian Res. 7: 1–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gawlik, D. E. (2002) The effects of prey availability on the numerical response of wading birds. Ecol. Monogr. 72: 329–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghemiray, D. K. (2016) Assessment of habitat usage by White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) at Burichhu nesting site. BSc dissertation, College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Punakha, Bhutan.Google Scholar
Ghosh, D. and Biswas, J. K. (2017) Catch per unit efforts and impacts of gears on fish abundance in an oxbow lake ecosystem in Eastern India. Environ. Health Eng. Manag. 4: 169–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grant, P. R. (1968) Bill size, body size, and the ecological adaptations of bird species to competitive situations on islands. Syst Zool. 17: 319–333.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gurung, D. B., Dorji, S., Tshering, U. and Wangyal, J. T. (2013) An annota Gwiazda ted checklist of fishes from Bhutan. J. Threat. Taxa 5: 4880–4886.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gwiazda, R. and Amirowicz, A. (2006) Selective foraging of Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) in relation to density and composition of the littoral fish community in a submontane dam reservoir. Waterbirds 29: 226–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gyimesi, A., Franken, M. S., Feige, N. and Nolet, B. A. (2012) Human disturbance of Bewick’s Swans is reflected in giving-up net energy intake rate, but not in giving-up food density. Ibis 154: 781–790.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hancock, J. and Kushlan, J. A. (1984) The herons handbook. London, UK: Croom Helm.Google Scholar
Heath, A. (2019) Lights, camera, herons! Accessed online 20 June 2019 from https://www.synchronicityearth.org/lights-camera-heron/ Google Scholar
HeronConservation (2019) White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis (Hume). Accessed online 10 October 2019 from https://www.heronconservation.org/herons-of-the-world/list-of-herons/white-bellied-heron/ Google Scholar
Jakubas, D. and Manikowska, B. (2011) The response of Grey Herons Ardea cinerea to changes in prey abundance. Bird Study 58: 487–494.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jing, K., Ma, Z., Li, B., Li, J. and Chen, J. (2007) Foraging strategies involved in habitat use of shorebirds at the intertidal area of Chongming Dongtan, China. Ecol. Res. 22: 559–570.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, J. A. and Arunachalam, M. (2009) Diversity, distribution and assemblage structure of fishes in streams of southern Western Ghats, India. J. Threat. Taxa 1: 507–513.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kanehl, P. and Lyons, J. (1992) Research report 155: Impacts of in-stream sand and gravel mining on stream habitat and fish communities, including a survey on the Big Rib River. Marathon County, Wisconsin. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.Google Scholar
Kersten, M. R., Britton, H., Dugan, P. J. and Hafner, H. (1991) Flock feeding and food intake in Little Egrets: the effects of prey distribution and behaviour. J. Anim. Ecol. 60: 241–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khandu, P., Gale, G. A., Pradhan, R., Acharja, I. P., Bumrungsri, S. (2020a) First record of successful breeding of the critically endangered White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) in broadleaved trees. J. Anim. Plant Sci. 30: 502–507.Google Scholar
Khandu, P., Gale, G. A., Kinley, K., Tandin, T., Shimano, S. and Bumrungsri, S. (2020b) Daily roosting behaviour of the critically endangered White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis as a function of day length. Biol. Rhythm Res. 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, B. F., Buck, H., Ferguson, R., Fisher, T., Goblet, C., Nickel, H. and Suter, W. (2001) Birds recorded during two expeditions to north Myanmar (Burma). Forktail 17: 29–40.Google Scholar
Klinsawat, W., Khandu, P., Bumrungsri, S., Sukmak, M., Chaichanathong, S., Kaolim, N., Wajjwalku, W. (2019) DNA barcoding and intraspecific mtDNA variation in wild populations of White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) from Bhutan. 12th Asian Society of Conservation Medicine (ASCM) Conference. Cambodia: Asian Society of Conservation Medicine.Google Scholar
Koehnken, L., Rintoul, M. S., Goichot, M., Tickner, D, Loftus, A. C. and Acreman, M. C. (2020) Impacts of riverine sand mining on freshwater ecosystems: A review of the scientific evidence and guidance for future research. River Res Applic. 36: 362–370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kondolf, G., Piégay, H. and Landon, N. (2007) Changes in the riparian zone of the lower Eygues River, France, since 1830. Lands Ecol 22: 367–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krebs, J. R. and Partridge, B. (1973) Significance of head tilting in the Great Blue Heron. Nature 242: 533–535.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumar, N. and Kumar, A. (2014) Floristic diversity assessment in river sand mining near Palri Bhoptan village, Kisangarh Tehsil, Afmer district, Rajasthan, India. J. Asian Earth Sci. 7: 51–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kushlan, A. (1976) Feeding behaviour of North American Herons. Auk 93: 86–94.Google Scholar
Kushlan, J. A. (2011) Heron count protocols: inventory, census and monitoring of herons. Heron Conservation. Accessed online 10 October 2019 from https://www.heronconservation.org/media/resources/Heron-Count-Protocols.pdf Google Scholar
Kushlan, J. A. and Hafner, H. (2000) Heron conservation. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Lo, P. L. and Fordham, R. A. (1986) Seasonal and diurnal time budgets and feeding intensity of the White-faced Heron in pasture. Notornis 33: 233–245.Google Scholar
Maccarone, A. D. and Brzorad, J. N. (2002) Foraging patterns of breeding Egrets at coastal and interior locations. Waterbirds 25: 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maccarone, A. D. and Brzorad, J. N. (2005) Foraging microhabitat selection by wading birds in a tidal estuary, with implications for conservation. Waterbirds 28: 383–391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marchetti, K. and Price, T. (1989) Differences in the foraging of juvenile and adult birds: the importance of developmental constraints. Biol Rev 64: 51–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, T. E. (1987) Food as a limit on breeding birds: a life history perspective. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 18: 453–487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGuire, A. D. (1986) Some aspects of the breeding biology of Red-winged Blackbirds in Alaska. Wilson Bull. 98: 257–266.Google Scholar
Menzies, R. K., Rao, M. and Naniwadekar, R. (2020) Assessing the status of the Critically Endangered White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis in north-east India. Bird Conserv. Internatn. 1–13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270920000301.Google Scholar
Michaud, J. P. and Wierenga, M. (2005) Estimating discharge and stream flows: a guide for sand and gravel operators. Washington: Washington State Department of Ecology.Google Scholar
Moreno, J. (1984) Parental care of fledged young, division of labor, and the development of foraging techniques in the northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe L.). Auk 101: 741–752.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
NCHM (2017) Bhutan state of the climate. Thimphu, Bhutan: National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology, Weather and Climate Services Division.Google Scholar
NRCRLF (2017) Field guide to fishes of Western Bhutan. (Tshering, S., Wangchuk, K., Dorji, S., Norbu, P., Philipp, D. P., Claussen, et al. eds). Haa, Bhutan: National Research Centre for Riverine and Lake Fisheries.Google Scholar
Österblom, H. and Bodin, Ö. (2012) Global cooperation among diverse organizations to reduce illegal fishing in the southern ocean. Conserv. Biol. 26: 638–648.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Papakostas, G., Kazantzidis, S., Goutner, V. and Charalombidou, I. (2005) Factors affecting the foraging behavior of the Squacco Heron. Waterbirds 28: 28–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pradhan, R., Norbu, T. and Frederick, P. (2007) Reproduction and ecology of the world’s rarest Ardeid: The White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) in Bhutan. 31st Annual Meeting of the Waterbird Society. Edifici Històric, Universitat de Barcelona.Google Scholar
Price, M. R. S. and Goodman, G. L. (2015) White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis): Conservation Strategy. IUCN Species Survival Commission White-bellied Heron Working Group, part of the IUCN-SSC Heron Specialist Group.Google Scholar
R Development Core Team (2018) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. (Version 3.5.1). Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Accessed online 20 June 2019 from https://www.R-project.org/.Google Scholar
Renken, R. C., Thompson, J. A. and Maccarone, A. D. (2016) Factors affecting foraging microhabitat selection by wading birds at an artificial weir. Waterbirds 39: 422–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, L. M. (1999) Behavioral sampling in the field: continuous focal versus focal interval sampling. Behaviour 137: 153–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
RSPN (2011) The critically endangered White-bellied Heron (Pradhan, R. and Frederick, P., eds). Thimphu, Bhutan: Royal Society for Protection of Nature.Google Scholar
RSPN (2020) Factsheet White-bellied Herons, Ardea insignis . Rangzhin 13(2): 6–7.Google Scholar
Sato, N. and Maruyama, N. (1996) Foraging site preference of Intermediate Egrets Egretta intermedia during the breeding season in the eastern part of the Kanto Plain, Japan. J. Yamashina Inst. Ornithol. 28: 19–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scholz, J. T. and Wang, C.-L. (2006) Cooptation or transformation? Local policy networks and federal regulatory enforcement. Am. J. Political Sci. 50: 81–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tshering, D. (2016) Habitat preference by White-bellied Heron along Bertichu, Zhemgang district. BSc dissertation, College of Natural Resources, Lobesa, Punakha, Bhutan.Google Scholar
Williams, D. R., Child, M. F., Dicks, L. V., Ockendon, N., Pople, R. G., Showler, D. A. et al. (2019) Bird Conservation. Pp. 141–290 in Sutherland, W. J., Dicks, L. V., Ockendon, N., Petrovan, S. O. and Smith, R. K., eds. What works in conservation 2019. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wong, L. C., Corlett, R. T. Young, L. and Lee, J. S. Y. (2000) Comparative feeding ecology of Little Egrets on intertidal mudflats in Hong Kong, South China. Waterbirds 23: 214–225.Google Scholar
WWF (2019) White-bellied Herons. World Wild Fund for Nature. Accessed online 20 April 2019: http://www.wwfbhutan.org.bt/_what_we_do/wildlife/species/white_bellied_heron/ Google Scholar
Xi, C., Bin, W. and Xu, L. (2018) Gene sequence of CO I and Cyt b of Ardea insignis and molecular phylogenetic analysis of genus Ardea. Sichuan J. Zool. 37: 268–273.Google Scholar