The Diet And Feeding Behavior Of The Red-Capped Lark, Calandrella Cinerea In Kedong Ranch, Naivasha, Kenya.
Abstract
The study was conducted at Kedong area in Naivasha, Kenya from March to August, 2016 with
the aim of assessing. the diet and feeding behaviour of the Red-capped Lark and how it is
influenced by factors of insect prey abundance/diversity and seasonality Quantitative data on
feeding behavior was obtained through focal animal sampling and nest observations. The
densities of foraging substrates were estimated. Insects were sampled through pitfall traps,
sweep-nets and butterfly traps. A total of 868 observations on food items consumed by the adult
Red-capped Larks were undertaken. The Red-capped Lark predominantly consumed animal
nutrients (insects belonging to orders Coleoptera, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, and Hymenoptera)
which were supplemented by grass seeds from two grass species; Eragrostis tenuifolia and
Harpachne schimperi. Picking and gulping were the most employed food capture and handling
technique respectively for both seasons. A one-way ANOVA test confirmed that mean feeding
and search rates between seasons did not vary significantly. During breeding period, mean rates
for feeding, searching for food, walking, and resting and preening in the morning, mid-morning
and evening significantly varied except for scanning and courtship display. For non-breeding
period, mean rates for all other activities apart from courtship display varied significantly for the
time periods. The nestling diet comprised of insect larvae, grasshoppers, butterflies/moths, ants
and beetles. Insect larvae were the most frequent item delivered, accounting for 51.9% of the
nestling diet. A Welch student’s t-test showed that there were no significant differences in mean
delivery rates of different prey items provided by male and female parents. However, there were
significant difference in the mean delivery rates of insect larvae, grasshoppers and
butterflies/moths delivered to nestlings of different ages per day. There were significant
differences in the Shannon Weiner diversity (H’) indices for insect prey species collected in open
grassland, Acacia woodland and Tarconathus-Acacia woodland. However, there was no
significant difference in insect prey abundance for the vegetation types between seasons. A
positive correlation between availability and utilization of insect prey items by the bird was
established. Given that knowledge on the diet and feeding behaviour of the Red-capped Lark is
limited, this study provided key insights on its diet and factors that influence its feeding
behavior.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Subject
The Red-Capped LarkRights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
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