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Bird Diets in Urban Environments: The Case of the Asian Glossy Starling, Aplonis panayensis

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Naturalists, Explorers and Field Scientists in South-East Asia and Australasia

Part of the book series: Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation ((TOBC,volume 15))

Abstract

The Asian Glossy Starling, Aplonis panayensis, is one of the most abundant birds in Kuching City, occupying nooks and cavities of buildings and soiling the walls and floors with their droppings. To determine why they are so abundant, we focused on their dietary habits in a study conducted in Dewan Suarah area of Kuching in 2013. A total of 51 fecal samples were collected from the floor of Dewan Suarah and examined for dietary fragments. The results showed the diet comprises insects as well as plant parts. The insects are solely from the Order Hymenoptera (70 individuals), whereas the plant parts comprised figs (86 %), Vitex sp. (2 %) and unidentified plant materials (12 %). The Hymenopteran identified in fecal samples belong to the family Agaonidae (45 individuals), Formicidae (18 individuals), and Ormyridae (7 individuals). There is a significant difference in frequency occurrence of insects and fruits in the diet of starlings. From the fecal analysis, the insects in the diet of the starlings are mainly from the figs they have eaten. The diet of the bird is discussed in relation to the availability of food items in the surrounding areas.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ratnawati Razali for helping and guidance during identification of insects. Thanks also to Sarawak Forest Department for a research permit, NCCD.907.4.4.(Jld.8)-79, and Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara for permission to conducted this study. We are grateful to the staff of the Department of Zoology and IBEC from UNIMAS, Isa Sait, Nasron, and Rahah Yakub for their assistance in the field, Wahab Marni, Jailani and Madinah who assisted in laboratory work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

    Nursyafiqah Shazali & J. Mohd-Azlan

  2. Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

    Andrew Alek Tuen

Authors
  1. Nursyafiqah Shazali
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  2. J. Mohd-Azlan
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  3. Andrew Alek Tuen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Alek Tuen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst Biodiversity & Envtl Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

    Indraneil Das

  2. Inst Biodiversity & Envtl Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

    Andrew Alek Tuen

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Shazali, N., Mohd-Azlan, J., Tuen, A.A. (2016). Bird Diets in Urban Environments: The Case of the Asian Glossy Starling, Aplonis panayensis . In: Das, I., Tuen, A. (eds) Naturalists, Explorers and Field Scientists in South-East Asia and Australasia. Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26161-4_11

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