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.