Breeding ecology of the Asian pied starling (Gracupica contra) at Jahangirnagar University campus, Bangladesh

Abstract

The breeding ecology of the Asian pied starling (Gracupica contra) was studied between 2015 and 2016 at Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus to document the breeding period, nests and nest-site selection, clutch size, egg morphology, hatching and breeding success. Breeding activities of starling in JU campus started in late February and continued to early September. A total of 105 nests were recorded in two breeding seasons. The nests were loosely constructed out of straw into the shape of a dome with an entrance on the side. The average nest depth was 18±4.5 cm (n=21, range =12-29 cm) with a mean entrance diameter of 7.6±1.3 cm (n=21, range= 6-10 cm). Most of the nests (98%) were found in trees (98%), only 2% of them were found on the electric poles (2%). Overall, 17 tree species were utilized by the starlings for nesting and majority of the nests were found in Albizia procera (n=25), Gmelina arborea (n=17), and Swietenia mahagoni (n=13). The Asian pied starling nested between 3 and 18 meters (mean =10.3±3.5m) above the ground. Clutch size varied from 2 to 6 eggs with a mean size of 3.8±1.2 (n=21). Eggs were glossy blue with an average dimension of 26.6±1.6 mm×19.3±0.33 mm (n=35). Both sexes took part in incubation by rotation and fed the young. The average incubation and nestling period were 17.3±3.6 days (n=19, range=14-30) and 23±1.5 days (n=16, range=20-25), respectively. Out of the 80 eggs monitored, 63 eggs successfully hatched and 52 chicks reached their fledgeling stage, resulting in a breeding success of 65%.
 Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 10(1 & 2): 49-57, 2021 (June & December)

Nest site selection of cavity-nesting birds at Jahangirnagar University campus, Bangladesh

“…In our study, more than 50% of total nest cavities were found in three species of trees (Swietenia mahagoni, Abizia procera and Samania saman) of > 42 cm in DBH. Earlier studies also showed that these trees are commonly found at JU campus and provide nesting resources to a wide variety of birds including cavity nesters (Jahan et al 2018;Shoma & Begum, 2020;Shoma, 2021).…”

“…Jahangirnagar university campus is home to about 195 species of birds which comprises about 30% of the total bird species in Bangladesh (Begum, 2016). The diverse habitat features made the campus an attractive nesting and roosting ground for a broad range of bird communities including several species of primary and secondary cavity-nesting birds (Mohsanin & Khan, 2009;Rahman et al, 2019;Shoma & Begum, 2020;Shoma, 2021). However, habitat fragmentation and continuous loss of trees due to growing infrastructure developments may threaten the reproduction and survival of cavity-nesting birds in the campus.…”