Unusual behaviour of adaptation against predation in terek sandpiper Tringa terek (Latham)

2 Pages·1992·1.2 MB·

by  S Balachandran

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 373
10. CASPIAN PLOVER CHARADRIUS ASIATICUS PALLAS
AT PT. CALIMERE, TAMIL NADU
The Caspian plover Charadriiis asiaticus has longer legs, which were of a pale green colour. The
apparently only been recorded once within India’s upper parts were a uniform brown, concolorous with
boundaries, a specimen having been collected near the rumpand tail, which had no obvious white areas,
Ratnagiri, Maharashtra in 1880. There is one sight although there may have been some white edging to
record fromthe Andaman Islands (SYNOPSIS OFTHE the latter. The ‘face’ was very pale with white
BIRDS OF INDIAAND PAKISTAN, Ripley, S.D. 1982), forehead, throat and lores being joined to a distinct
which is now considered as a separate species, the broad white supercilium that curved back behind the
Oriental ploverCharadriusveredus. eye, the lores and forehead having a slight chestnut
On 18 February 1991 at about 1630 hrs K.J.K. buffy wash, which was also visible on the brown of
sighted a Caspian plover in partial breedingplumage the hind-neck. The thick brown eye-stripe extended
onthebeach atthesouthern boundary ofPt. Calimere back behind the eye to join the brown of the upper
Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu. Initially it was seen parts. The bill was noticeably different to that of
near the water’s edge but soon moved to the adjoin- lesser sand plover, being likewise black but tapered
ingarea ofdry sand, dottedwith patchesofdry grass. to a finer point. The most distinctive feature was the
There it continued feeding for approximately halfan broad, pale chestnut band, a dark brown line and at
hour in the company of two lesser sand plovers close range showed some white scaling. Belly and
Charadrius mongolus and several Kentish plovers undertail coverts were white. The bird was observed
Charadriusalexandrinus which enabled useful com- to have a white wing-bar, which together with its
parisons to be made. The bird was seen again briefly white axillaries and wing-lining separate it from the
at 1745 hrs on the grassland further inland, where it very similar Oriental plover.
was loosely associated with some Pacific golden HANDBOOKOFTHEBIRDSOFINDIAANDPAKIS-
ploversPluvialisdominicafulva. , TAN (AJi, S. and Ripley, S.D. 1983) does not record
K.J.K. informed S.B. and L.R. and the follow- its behaviour in India. Our bird appeared to have a
ing morning they together relocated the bird, near fairly typical plover-type feeding pattern with its
where it had last been seen, and confirmed its iden- rather upright stance resembling that of the Pacific
tity. It was observed with a telescope at fairly close golden plover.
range for a period of 20 minutes while feeding with This is an interesting sighting of a species that
pacific golden plovers and little ringed plovers has not been recorded on the Indian mainland for
Charadriusdubius. over 100 years.
The following field characters were noted: The K.J. KAZMIERCZAK
overall size appeared somewhat larger than that of S. BALACHANDRAN
lesser sand plover, perhaps due to the considerably May 6, 1991 LIMA ROSALIND
11. UNUSUAL BEHAVIOUR OR ADAPTATION AGAINST PREDATION IN
TEREK SANDPIPER TRINGA TEREK (LATHAM)
On the morning of2 April 1991 we observed a Haliastur indus stooped to catch it. But to our
scattered flock of Terek sandpiper Tringa terek astonishment the sandpiper immediately dived into
(Latham) (return migration flock) numbering 32, the water, surfaced about 60 cm away and swam for
feeding in the reservoirs in the Great Vedaranyam few seconds. Once again the brahminy kite tried to
Swamp at Pt. Calimere, Tamil Nadu. Five were prey upon it, but the bird dived again into the water
caughtby thetrappersoftheBombay Natural History and came out about 1.54 m away and swam for
Society for ringing as part of the ongoing Bird another 1.25 mtoreach thebank.In themeantimewe
Migration Project. The first two Terek sandpipers got intothewaterand chased thebrahminy kiteaway,
grouped togetherafterrelease.The third wasreleased which gavetime forthesandpipertohide itselfunder
along the water’s edge. Suddenly a brahminy kite nearbySuaedabush.
374 JOURNAL BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. 89
Theswimmingbehaviouroftereksandpiperhas cape from predators or may be an impulsive action
beenrecorded (BIRDSOFTHEWESTERNPALEARCTIC, resulting from panic.
Cramp and Simmons, K.E.L. 1983). But diving into
water is12a.n unusual behaviour not known to be S. BALACHANDRAN
recorded, which may be either an adaptation to es- May 8, 1991 V.NATARAJAN
UNUSUAL FORAGING SITE OF GOLDENBACKED WOODPECKER
DINOPIUM BENGHALENSE (LINN.)
11 April 1991, at 0830hrswhile walkingalong the iron clamps at the top ofthe pole. Afterwards it
the road near one of my study sites at Pt. Calimere flew to anotherpole, repeatedsimilar foragingtactics
Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, Isawa goldenback- at two crevices and flew towards the forest. Inspec-
ed woodpecker Dinopium benghalense flying from tion of some crevices on these poles revealed the
the forest towards the swamp. I was puzzled to see a presence ofbeetles,ants,cockroachesandspiders.
woodpecker flying towards the swamp, which was Accordingto AJi andRipley (1983,HANDBOOK
not its habitat, but it immediately p1e3r.ched on one of OF THE BIRDS OF INDIA AND PAKISTAN), the wood-
the concrete electric poles alongthe road. After land- peckers pick up insects from tree trunks, boughs and
ing on the lower part ofthe pole, it started creeping the ground. This observation reports an unusual
up in short spurts, inspecting and picking up some foragingsite ofthegoldenbackedwoodpecker.
prey from the crevices. It picked prey from three
crevices on the pole and once from the gap between June 10, 1991 S.ALAGARRAJAN
A SILENT ASSOCIATION
14.On 12January 1991 nearKakachi Ihappenedto seasons atKakachi.
come Across a small troop of liontailed Macaques The HANDBOOKOF BIRDS(AJi and Ripley,S.D.
Macaca silenus in the dense evergreen forest. The 1983) mentions the drongo associating closely with
monkeys were seen probing the flowers of Cullenia treepies and woodpeckers but monkeys are not men-
excirillata and brought down a rain of flowers, twigs, tioned. Elsewhere, however, birds havebeen seen as-
bark and some insects. A little below the monkeys, I sociating with monkeys (Bonski and Scott,
noticed a racket-tailed drongo Dicrurus remifer Biotropica 20(2): 136-143, 1988).
silently foraging under the ‘rain’. The monkeys
moved to another tree and were soon followedby the
drongo. Such an association I have seen almost at all March 13, 1991 T. GANESH
TREE PIE DENDROCITTA VAGABUNDA (LATHAM) FEEDING ON ARIL OF
SEEDS OF PITHECELLOBIUM DULCE
On 26 April 1991, at Bundha Forest Nursery of theirclaws,theyweretearingthepodswith theirbills
Jamwa Ramgarh Range (Division Jaipur-West), I and devouring the arils, an outgrowth present on
noticed a party of 13 individuals of the tree pie seeds.
Dendrocitta vagabunda (Latham) feeding on arils of The forest of the locality has a dry-deciduous
seeds ofPithecellobium didce along with redvented type ofvegetation andPithecellobiumdulce is an ex-
bulbul Pycnonotus cafer roseringed parakeet Psit- otic component of these forests introduced by the
,
taculakrameri and other frugivorousbirds. Some in- Forest Department, a few local nurseries and planta-
dividual oftreepie were pickingup fallen green pods tions.
ofPithecellobiumdulcefrom theground while others
werepluckingthem offthe trees.Holdingthepodsin July 21, 1991 SATISHKUMAR SHARMA