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Predation on the Indian Bull frog Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (Daudin, 1802) (Anura: Dicroglossidae) by the Asian House Shrew Suncus murinus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Soricomorpha: Soricidae) from Nepal
Bivek Gautam, Santosh Bhattarai,
Volume 2, Issue 3 (9-2020)
Abstract
We present a natural history account of the first record of probable predation on the Indian bull frog, Hoplobatrachus tigerinus by the Asian House Shrew, Suncus murinus from Morang district, Nepal. The present communication provides an example of a nearly equal-sized predator-prey interaction in a natural ecosystem and provides interesting information on the natural history of these taxa.

Foraging and nesting behavior of Pallas’s fish eagle, Haliaeetus leucoryphus (Pallas, 1771) in the Himalayan Bhutan
Sherab Jamtsho, Sonam Phuntsho, Tshering Dorji, Lhendup Tharchen,
Volume 5, Issue 2 (6-2023)
Abstract
Pallas’s fish eagle, Haliaeetus leucoryphus (Pallas), is listed as endangered (En) in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with a global population of 2,500 to 9,999 individuals. It is one of the least known species in Bhutan and assessing its foraging and nesting behavior will be one of the best conservation measures to monitor its status, ecology and conservation threats. Therefore, the nesting behavior of the eagle was observed for two months and chick feeding activities for sixteen weeks at 21 vantage points along a 75 km highway in the Punatshangchu River Valley, Bhutan. Fifty households residing 500 m from the river were interviewed using structured questionnaires to examine their perception towards the eagle. A total of 92% (n= 46) of respondents were aware of the presence of H. leucoryphus in their locality and 78% felt that it is a rare and endangered fishing eagle. However, 84% (n= 42) of respondents were not aware of nesting within their vicinity. The sexes of H. leucoryphus can be differentiated by their plumage and the fledgling was observed approximately one week after the end of the incubation period. It took 112 days for the fledging to leave the nest. The study revealed that the eagle preferred foraging between 7  and 9 AM in the morning and in the afternoon from 1 to 3 PM. The maximum foraging attempts occurred in a pool habitat 54% (n= 37) with a success rate of 78% (n= 54). The hunting and feeding of the fledgling was done by the male and prey delivery in the first two months consisted of 78.5% fish and 19.5% rodents. However, the feeding of fish declined by 35% in the next two months and its diet mainly consisted of small birds. Attacks on the fledgling were done by the crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela Latham) (48%), followed by the black eagle Ictinaetus malaiensis (Temminck) (33%).

Preliminary analysis indicates dietary similarities in the prey composition of Hipposideros hypophyllus Kock and Bhat, 1994 (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) and sympatric congeneric species
Kumari Krishnanagara Shraddha, Rajesh Puttaswamaiah, Chetan Nag Krishnaswamy Sudarshan,
Volume 5, Issue 4 (10-2023)
Abstract

Much is known about bats from other parts of the globe regarding factors such as homogeneity and heterogeneity of habitats, prey abundance influencing the predator-prey relationship, etc. Sadly, minuscule literature on bat ecology is available for India. The current study investigated diet of the Kolar leaf-nosed bat Hipposideros hypophyllus, a Critically Endangered (CR) insectivorous bat in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, known only from a single cave where it shares its roosting site with congeneric species, namely Durgadas’s leaf-nosed bat H. durgadasi Khajuria and Schneider’s leaf-nosed bat H. speoris (Schneider), which are Vulnerable (VU) and Least Concerned (LC), respectively. Because Hipposideros hypophyllus is on the brink of extinction with no baseline ecological data available, the study analyzed the dietary compositions of the species. It relied on the morphological cataloguing of post-digested prey fragments in fecal pellets of the species and its congeners. Fresh fecal pellets of all three species of Hipposideros were analyzed to understand morphological differences and prey composition at the only known site for H. hypophyllus, Hanumanahalli village, Kolar district, India, between November 2022 to February 2023. A total of 29,793 prey remnants were examined from all three species belonging to 11 insect orders (Blattodea, Coleoptera, Mantodea, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Neuroptera, Odonata, Orthoptera, and Thysanoptera). All three species of Hipposideros fed mainly on Coleoptera, followed by Diptera and Lepidoptera, showing a strong overlap in their prey composition. Our results warrant a long-term study across seasons and identifying prey to the species level which can provide more detailed understanding and lead to the conservation of Hipposideros hypophyllus, H. durgadasi, and H. speoris.


Noteworthy observations on food and feeding behaviors of mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris Lesson) at Lal Dhori, Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, India
Raju Vyas, Devendra Chauhan, Pranav Vaghashiya, Harshil Patel,
Volume 6, Issue 1 (3-2024)
Abstract

Mugger Crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) are apex predators of freshwater aquatic ecosystems throughout South Asia whose natural history and ecology are incompletely known. We present some noteworthy observations on feeding behavior, hunting strategy, and diet of the species based on seven observations during the last four years as part of a long-term monitoring study in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. We found Muggers of this region feeding on the domestic dog (Canis familiaris), Indian rock python (Python molurus), Indian flap-shelled turtle (Lissemys punctata), several species of fishes, as well as cannibalism events. Moreover, we review and discuss some published observations of the species.


Diet of the Merlin Falco columbarius Linnaeus on winter foraging grounds in Western India
Devvratsinh Mori, Raju Vyas, Gourav Dadhich,
Volume 6, Issue 2 (6-2024)
Abstract
The Merlin Falco columbarius, is a small falcon widely distributed across Europe, Asia, and North America. Merlin falcons are winter visitors to north India. They occur from an arid area in Gujarat to far northeast Arunachal Pradesh. Here, we present details of the Merlin's diet on winter foraging grounds in Gujarat and Rajasthan, Western India, based on a combination of direct observations from 2009 to 2023 and secondary data extracted from various social media platforms. A total of 99 hunting events of Merlin with their prey bird were collected from the study areas, including 39 generated from direct observation of falcon hunting and 60 images of falcons with prey items acquired from various electronic media. The higher number (72) of falcon hunting events were noted from Gujarat, while a lower number (28) of observations were noted from Rajasthan. Of the total of 99 hunting events, 83 were carried out by males, 11 by females, and 5 juvenile falcons observed hunting. The hunting times of the falcons were noted in the morning (67%), in the evening (28%), and the least (5%) were recorded in midday periods. Merlins hunted and consumed 17 different types of smaller birds belonging to seven families; the highest number (45.45%) of prey items were the Greater Short-toed Lark, Calandrella brachydactyla, from Family Alaudidae and the second highest prey species (7%) was the Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica, family Hirundinidae. Most of the prey birds were larks of different species (70.70%), with the remaining prey birds in very low numbers. However, the present study supports an earlier study stating that a higher portion of smaller migratory birds are in the diets of Merlin falcons.

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