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Foraging Habits of Aerial Insectivores in the Coastal Region of Raigad, Maharashtra

2021; National Cave Research and Protection Organization; Volume: 8; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.21276/ambi.2021.08.2.aa03

2348-8980

Jayesh Patil, Dhanusha Kawalkar, Shirish Manchi,

Bat Biology and Ecology Studies

The present study aims to understand the foraging habitat and assemblages of the aerial insectivores in the coastal Raigad district, Maharashtra.The study was conducted in the five coastal talukas of Raigad District; (1) Alibag, (2) Roha, (3) Murud, (4) Mhasla, and (5) Shrivardhan.The random survey was conducted in the study sites using vehicles and motorized dugout dingies looking for the birds feeding on the aerial insects between 0600 and 1800 hours.Total five species were recorded during the survey, namely; Little Swift (LS) (Apus affinis), Asian Palm Swift (APS) (Cypsiurus balasiensis), Barn Swallow (BS) (Hirundo rustica), Wire-tailed Swallow (WTS) (Hirundo smithii), and Dusky Crag Martin (DCM) (Ptyonoprogne concolor).All the species were distributed throughout the coastal region of Raigad.APS was the most abundant and widely distributed among all the aerial foragers, whereas the WTS was the least encountered during the survey.The encountered species were distributed in different habitats.However, all the species were active over the deciduous forest.We also observed assemblages of APS and BS whereas, DCM and WTS forage only within the species group.We recommend a further detailed study to understand the foraging ecology of aerial insectivores in coastal and inland regions of Maharashtra.