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Breeding success of Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) at Tal Chhapar Black buck sanctuary, Churu (Rajasthan), India |
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| Paper Id :
18379 Submission Date :
15/12/2023 Acceptance Date :
22/12/2023 Publication Date :
25/12/2023
This is an open-access research paper/article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.10450407 For verification of this paper, please visit on
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| Abstract |
At the Tal Chhapar Sanctuary, a one-year study on Black
Drongo breeding activities was conducted from April 2023 to August of 2023. At
the studied area, Black Drongo's breeding season ran from May to August.
Detailed observations were done on ten Black Drongo nests about the breeding
parameters and features of the eggs. A clutch could contain between two and
four eggs. The incubation period was 14 days on average. The Black Drongo's
successful hatching and fledging was observed. The information acquired on the
breeding biology of the Black
Drongo could encourage efforts to conserve this species within the field of
agriculture. |
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| Keywords | Breeding success, Black Drongo, Tal Chhapar, Churu, Rajasthan. | ||||||
| Introduction | In order to determine the condition of habitats within an
agro ecosystem, birds serve as crucial ecological indicators (Joshi 2015).
Because of anthropogenic factors and habitat destruction, bird populations are
declining (Grewal 2000). An important group in the avian biodiversity of
agricultural areas is comprised of insectivorous bird species (Dhindsa and Saini 1994). The majority of birds monitor the emergence of insect pest species and hunt their food in the agro-ecosystem (Mariappn et al., 2013). Since they are the most prone to disturbances in
agricultural fields, avian insectivorous bird species serve as important
indicators of changes in agricultural ecosystems (Okosodo et al., 2016). In the agricultural field areas, they serve as crucial
bio-indicators (Powell et al., 2015).The greatest threat to birds is posed by
changes in agricultural practices, which can also result in habitat loss, a
serious threat to biodiversity. Small terrestrial insectivorous birds, such as
the Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus), are an important part of the agro-ecosystem
(Gomes et al., 2008). Its tail is clearly forked, and it is a member of
the Dicruridae family (Ali 2003). In the tree's forked branch, it constructs a
delicate nest made of tiny twigs and fibres that resembles a cup (Ali 2002). |
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| Aim of study |
The goal of the current study was to observe breeding biology of Black Drongo in Tal Chhapar Black buck Sanctuary, Churu
agricultural landscape. |
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| Review of Literature | Black Drongo is a fairly terrestrial bird that perches near the ground in
grasslands and cultivations, Okosodo et al., (2016). Black Drongo relative abundance was reported by Kaur et al., (2018) to range from 1.73% to 4.38% in and around village
ponds in Punjab's Barnala district. Black Drongo was reported by Sidhu and Kler
(2018) to be a less common bird species in orchards, primarily found close to
crop fields. |
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| Main Text | Study area
The study was
conducted at Tal chhapar sanctuary, situated at the intersection of 27⁰ 42’ N and 74⁰ 20’ E in the Sujangarh tehsil of
district Churu. The sanctuary is home to "the black buck," one of the
most graceful antelopes found in India. With its nearly level terrain and
sporadic shallow low-lying regions, the Tal Chhapar Sanctuary resembles a typical
Savannah thanks to its open grasslands and strewn Acacia trees. "Tal"
signifies to "plane land." Rainwater gathers in small seasonal water
ponds after flowing through low-lying, shallow areas. It is situated in the path taken by numerous migratory birds, including harriers. In September, these birds
travel through this region. The eastern imperial eagle, tawny eagle, short-toed eagle, sparrow,
little green bee-eaters, black ibis, and demoiselle cranes are among the birds that are frequently spotted in the sanctuary. These birds remain there until the month of March. However, throughout the year, one can
see ring doves, brown doves, skylarks, crested larks, black drongos and blue
jays (Ojha 2016). The climate is very hot (45-50⁰c) in the summer and very cold (4⁰c) in winter and rainfall mainly in
June to September. Black Drongo is found in large amount and a residential bird
species at study area. |
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| Methodology | At all the locations under study, three times a week, in
the morning and evening, direct
observations of Black Drongo breeding activities were recorded. With a Nikon
Aculon 10x50 binocular, it was possible to observe the individuals' breeding
behaviours without upsetting them. Black Drongo's nesting sites were identified
using the point count method (Verner 1985).
A variety of breeding activities, including the choice of clutch
size, incubation duration, and nestling behaviour, were noted
through observations. The total number of eggs laid by the female during a
single breeding attempt was regarded as the clutch size. The amount of time that passed between the last egg in
the clutch being laid and the last young one hatching was known as the
incubation duration. The amount of time that passes between the first young bird hatching and all of the hatched
birds in the nest flying out is known as the nestling period (Skutch 1960). To find
the reason behind the loss of eggs or nestlings, observations were also made.
The Nikon 5300D camera was used for the photography. The hatching and fledgling success of Black Drongo was determined using the formula
of given as under:- Hatching success (%) = number of egg hatched/total number
of egg laid×100
Fledging success (%) = number of nestling fledged/total number of egg hatched×100 |
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| Result and Discussion |
Result Total 10 nests are observed in study area. Typical desert plants are found in study area like Acacia, Prosopis etc. mostly nests of Drongo was found at Acacia tree. Clutch size varies from 2 to 4 eggs. Total 10 nests are observed in which total 32 eggs are laid. 27 eggs are hatched so hatching success rate is about 84.37%. Average incubation period is about 14 days. Incubation is done by both parents. Nestling of hatching eggs is shared by both parents. 22 successfully fledged so fledging success is about 81.48%.
Clutch size  Clutch size – 2
Clutch size – 3
Clutch size – 4 in which two hatched
Nestling
Successful
fledgling Discussion
It has been observed that the Black Drongo's breeding
season mostly runs from May through August everywhere. On the other hand,
Shukkur and Joseph (1978) noted that the Black Drongo's breeding season in
Kerala's Calicut University Campus lasted from April to June. In a tree fork,
the Black Drongo constructed a narrow, cup-shaped nest made entirely of grass, twigs, and fibres rather than any vegetative material, Ali et al., (1998) showed a correlation. Shukkur and Joseph (1978) made similar
observations, noting that Black Drongo did not use any vegetative material when
building their nests. According to the results of the current investigations,
the Black Drongo's parents shared parental responsibilities during the
construction of their nests and protected them from encroaching predators. The
findings supported Ali's (2002) assertion that during the breeding season,
both sexes bravely defended
their nests and shared all household chores. It was mentioned by Kaur and Kler
(2018) that during the breeding season, one Black Drongo sex was
always close to the nesting site,
while the other did not spend time on the ground together. House Crows were
observed preying on Black Drongo nests during the incubation period.
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| Conclusion |
It was discovered that Black Drongo's typical clutch size
ranged from three to four. The result correlated with Ali et al., (2010). Comparing the clutch size range to earlier
research by Ali and Ripley (1998), it was about constant. Hussell and Quinney
(1987) had noted that clutch variation is frequently correlated with food material abundance in many bird species. According to authors, the availability of the female's nutrient reserves or protein-rich
diet determines the final clutch size in birds (Krapu 1981). Ndithia et al (2007) had noted that the age of the parents frequently
influences the size of the bird clutch, with younger parents laying fewer eggs.
Both of the parents incubated the Black Drongo's egg. The other parent was seen
not far from the nest while one of the parents was tending to the eggs. The
average incubation period for Black Drongo was found to be 14 days. It was
observed that Black Drongo incubation took place for roughly 13–16 days.
According to current observations, both parents contributed equally to the
nestling stage and the chicks' nourishment. Ali et al., (2010) reported similar outcomes. Because of the species' declining population due to the loss of its natural habitat as a result of
rapid deforestation and urbanization, breeding records for this species need to
be periodically checked. Such first-hand information will be
beneficial in examining their population decline. |
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| Acknowledgement | We are grateful to Prof. and head department of zoology, Govt. Lohia P.G. College, Churu and Mr. Anil Bagotia forest Ranger of Sanctuary for providing necessary facilities. We are highly thankful to CSIR for providing research Fellowship (File No: 09/1302(0007)/2019-EMR-I). | ||||||
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