Time budget patterns and complementary use of a Mediterranean wetland (Tonga, North-east Algeria) by migrant and resident waterbirds

Elafri, Ali; Halassi, Ismahan; Houhamdi, Moussa

doi:10.4081/rio.2016.268

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our sampled species showed an increase in escape distances as the wintering season progressed. It is known that migratory birds start arriving at the studied sites early winter (Palearctic–African migration) (Elafri et al., 2016), these arrivals, often with higher ratios of juveniles, faced new environmental conditions different from which they came (breeding or wintering grounds), allowing thereby closer approach to the source of human disturbance despite the perceived threat it constitutes due to their inexperience at this time, as demonstrated for grey herons Ardea cinerea by Bregnballe et al. (2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring human disturbance: Factors affecting escape behaviour of waterbirds in North African wetlands

Halassi

Elafri

Boutabia³

et al. 2022

Afr J Ecol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the factors affecting escape behaviour in waterbirds can be useful in the management of human disturbances. A common measure of escape response is flight initiation distance (FID), the distance at which an approaching intruder disturbs an individual bird enough to make it move away. Here, we analyse the escape behaviour of a set of waterbirds for the first time within a North African context. We tested (one-way ANOVA and general linear model) how FID varied with the area where waterbirds were temporal scale, distance at which the observer start approaching to the sampled birds, body size, flock size, species composition of the flock and foraging activity of the sampled birds. We collected 866 individual FIDs for 19 waterbird species wintering at two north Algerian wetlands (the Mekhada marsh, RAMSAR site, El-taref District and the Sebkhet El-Mahmel, unprotected wetland, Khenchela District). The obtained FIDs ranged from 32.6 m in smaller species as the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrines to 167 m in larger ones as the ruddy shelduck Tadorna ferruginea. The obtained models stated that differences in the absolute levels of FIDs were mostly related to starting distance (Effect size = 0.62), to which is added a relatively little effect of wetland status, taxonomic differences, temporal scale, body size, flock size, species composition of the flock and bird activity. More specifically, FID was lower in smaller and homospecific groups at early winter in the protected wetland. Reserve managers in North Africa could use species and context-specific FIDs in delineating appropriate buffer areas and in the design of management initiatives aimed at minimising eventual potential threat due to human disturbance and guaranteeing animal welfare and wildlife.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring human disturbance: Factors affecting escape behaviour of waterbirds in North African wetlands

Halassi

Elafri

Boutabia³

et al. 2022

Afr J Ecol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Animals respond to environmental stimuli by altering their behaviour to improve their chances of survival and reproduction [ 27 ]. Temporal—i.e., time of day [ 21 , 22 , 28 ], seasonal [ 29 , 30 ]) and environmental factors (including pond size [ 31 ]) all affect how birds will partition their time to different behaviours. Social period (i.e., the different sections of the Mandarin’s breeding season when different social behaviours are performed) [ 21 ], prevailing weather conditions [ 28 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], vegetation structure [ 29 , 36 ], the presence of humans [ 37 , 38 ] and other species of bird [ 39 ] also influence behaviour patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Temporal—i.e., time of day [ 21 , 22 , 28 ], seasonal [ 29 , 30 ]) and environmental factors (including pond size [ 31 ]) all affect how birds will partition their time to different behaviours. Social period (i.e., the different sections of the Mandarin’s breeding season when different social behaviours are performed) [ 21 ], prevailing weather conditions [ 28 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], vegetation structure [ 29 , 36 ], the presence of humans [ 37 , 38 ] and other species of bird [ 39 ] also influence behaviour patterns. Finally, individual animal factors such as energy requirements and sex-specific breeding activity [ 21 , 22 ] affect the time-budgets of birds and thus influence the breeding success and survival.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Social Influences on the Behaviour of Free-Living Mandarin Ducks in Richmond Park

Munday

Rose

2022

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many species of birds are housed in zoos globally and are some of the most popular of animals kept under human care. Careful observations of how species live and behave in their natural habitats can provide us with important knowledge about their needs, adaptations, and internal states, allowing identification of those behaviours that are most important to the individual’s physical health and wellbeing. For this study, Mandarin Ducks (Aix galericulata) were chosen as a study species because, like many species of waterfowl, they are widely kept in both private institutions and zoos, yet little research has been conducted on their core needs in captivity. A free-living population of naturalised Mandarin Ducks living in Richmond Park was used for this research. Data on state behaviours (resting, swimming, foraging, perching, preening, and vigilance) were collected five days a week (08:00–18:00) from the 26 March to 26 May 2021. Secondly, temporal, seasonal, environmental, and animal-centric factors (e.g., Sex) were recorded to assess any impact on the Mandarin’s time-activity budget. Lastly, a comparison between free-living anmd captive activity was conducted (via the literature) to evaluate whether captive behaviours differ to how they are expressed in the wild. Results showed that free-living Mandarins predominantly rested (19.88% ± 28.97), swam (19.57% ± 19.43) and foraged (19.47% ± 25.82), with variations in activity related to factors such as vegetation cover and pond size. Results also showed differences between the time-budgets of free-living and captive Mandarins, suggesting that captive birds may not always have the opportunity to express species-typical behaviours. This research indicated that study of natural behaviours performed in the wild may help to evaluate “normal” behaviour patterns of zoo-housed individuals and provide evidence for environmental and husbandry alterations that can promote good welfare. However, any potential impact on the activity patterns of free-living species due to human interactions should be considered when assessing deviations between the behaviour of wild and captive individuals.

show abstract

Time activity budget and foraging behavior: important determinants of resource sharing and guild structure in wintering waterbirds

Mukherjee

Pal²,

Das

et al. 2023

Eur J Wildl Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Time budget patterns and complementary use of a Mediterranean wetland (Tonga, North-east Algeria) by migrant and resident waterbirds

Cited by 4 publications

References 11 publications

Monitoring human disturbance: Factors affecting escape behaviour of waterbirds in North African wetlands

Monitoring human disturbance: Factors affecting escape behaviour of waterbirds in North African wetlands

Environmental and Social Influences on the Behaviour of Free-Living Mandarin Ducks in Richmond Park

Time activity budget and foraging behavior: important determinants of resource sharing and guild structure in wintering waterbirds

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About