While the breeding biology of the edible-nest swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus has previously been studied, research has been limited to direct observations made on cave colonies and details on their incubation behavior remain unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the biparental investment of domestic house-farmed white-nest swiftlets Aerodramus sp. during incubation. This study was conducted at a swiftlet house farm in Bentong, Pahang, central Peninsular Malaysia, from August 2019 to July 2020. An infrared camera connected to a digital video recorder was installed inside the house farm to monitor swiftlets’ daily activities. We determined that the time required for swiftlets to incubate their eggs was 23 ± 0.73 days, while the hatching success rate was 75%. Swiftlets exhibit intermittent incubation with fluctuations in incubation rate from egg-laying until hatching. Both parents incubate equally, with males notably incubate longer at night and females in the morning. The incubation period is influenced by clutch size; parents incubating two eggs have a shorter incubation period than parents that incubating a single egg. Parents alternately exchanged incubation roles when both sexes attended the nest, which often occurred in the early morning before the first emergence period and during nightfall after swiftlets returned to their nests. We identified two behavioral signals during parental exchange: (1) volunteering to move aside and allowing the partner to incubate and (2) being forced by the partner to move aside. The information provided by this study can be useful to bird-nest farmers, who can use it to increase their swiftlet populations by reducing the fatality of nestlings and maintaining a sustainable yield of harvesting.

No abstract

Abstract. Ismail NA, Jufri ABAK, Daud UNS, Nor SM, Mansor MS. 2020. Short Communication: Roosting behavior of Wintering Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) in Peninsular Malaysia. Biodiversitas 21: 661-665. The East Asian Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica gutturalis primarily breeds in China, Japan, and Korea, typically migrates to Southeast Asia during winter, including Malaysia. To date, knowledge regarding population of Barn Swallow are limited to their breeding grounds and other subspecies (e.g., European Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica rustica). A previous study on Barn Swallow wintering in Malaysia was conducted approximately 50 years ago and mainly focused on population dynamics. The objective of the present study was to investigate the roosting behavior of wintering Barn Swallows in a major roosting site, Bentong, central Peninsular Malaysia, from October 2018 to March 2019. Scan sampling at 5-min intervals was used to examine the roosting behavior of the swallows perching on service wires (i.e., electricity and telephone wires). We found that the swallows began to roost an average of 10 minutes after sunset and slept 55 minutes later. However, cloudy and rainy weather significantly affects swallow roosting period, leading them to perch earlier, 5 minutes before sunset. The pattern of roosting behavior was somewhat similar throughout the migration season, except in the early migration season (October), which was likely inconsistent due to their early adaptation to the town environment. Behavioral scan sampling revealed that swallows spend most of the time motionless, followed by preening. However, anthropogenic disturbances disrupt their behavior and sleep time. We also noted that this communally roosting bird behaved gregariously on wires, particularly at sites illuminated by light, which is likely an anti-predator mechanism.

The impact of dam construction on bird assemblages has been widely investigated in some regions, but bird diversity in catchment areas of hydroelectric dams during operation has been less studied. A high rate of forest regeneration around the affected area is expected to increase bird diversity. From September 2017 to February 2018, this study examined bird species richness and abundance in the Puah catchment area (PCA) and Tembat catchment area (TCA) in the Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Complex. PCA may be regarded as disturbed forest, while TCA comprises regenerating forest. This study conducted mist-netting and observations throughout the study period. This study recorded 204 individuals consisting of 62 bird species from 27 families. The Shannon diversity index for the birds captured was higher for TCA than for PCA, but the difference was insignificant. However, insectivorous bird diversity was significantly higher in TCA than in PCA, suggesting that feeding guilds are sensitive to habitat disturbance. Therefore, bird species diversity in both areas is expected to increase following habitat regeneration.

Abstract. Zakaria MA, Daud UNS, Mansor MS, Md. Nor S. 2022. Brood care behavior of the painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) in Peninsular Malaysia. Biodiversitas 23: 5406-5411. Waterbirds can serve as bio-indicators for their surrounding environments, indicating issues such as habitat degradation and climate change. One factor that contributes to successful reproduction for many bird species is parental behavior during the brood care stage. The painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) is a waterbird species that provide biparental care throughout the breeding season. Although many studies have focused on populations of this species, information about their behavior, particularly during nestling rearing, remains lacking. Hence, this study was conducted to examine the parental behavior of painted storks between the early and late stages of brood care in two different colonies located in Peninsular Malaysia: Tasik Shah Alam (TSA) in Selangor and Upper Bisa Putrajaya Wetland (UBPW) in Putrajaya from May to September 2016. Three pairs of painted storks were monitored in every site, and seven behaviors were identified: roosting, preening, nest repair, wing opening, flying, feeding and brooding. Of all the behaviors recorded, flying, roosting and wing-opening behavior were the most frequently observed behaviors in both study areas during the early stage of brood care. However, painted storks were found to spend most of their time flying when the chicks had grown up by the late stage. This may be due to the food demand for the parents and their chicks. As the nestlings grow bigger, more food is required before the nestling can fledge independently. This is supported by increased feeding frequency observed from the early to late stages. Males were found to have a higher frequency of all behaviors than females. This data facilitates a greater understanding of painted stork behavior, which can help in their conservation and management processes.