Factors influencing the Selection of roost sites of vultures with special references to roosting trees in Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Keywords:
Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, Migratory vultures, Residential vultures, Roosting SiteAbstract
Vultures are the social birds of prey and they roost, soar, and if carcass availability is large enough, they also feed together in flocks. The study was carried out from May2015 to September 2018.The roosting site was observed by travelling on foot using the pedestrian path. The presence of molted feathers and droppings and pellets was used to identify roosting trees. Vultures generally roost on mature trees, cliffs, monuments, and ground during morning and evening hours. The aim of the study is to focus on the selection of roost sites with special reference to trees. Duration of sunlight, the sitting posture of Vultures toward the sun, availability of food resources, the height of trees, condition of trees (good or bad), branching pattern, presence of water body is the factors that influence the selection of the roosting site of Vultures. The result shows 77% of roost trees were in good, 15% intermediate and 8% and in bad condition respectively (based on height, greenery, and branching pattern). The canopy cover of the roost plant was 46% open, 31% flat, and 23% closed type. The mean of the roost tree branches was 4.00±1.51 in number. The mean distance from the roost tree to the breeding site was 3.20±0.84km. The mean height of roost trees was 30.07±4.87m with the mean of Dbh (Diameter at breast height) was 1.74±0.98m. The number of migratory species was higher than residential vulture species. Hence, it is concluded the Palpur-Kuno sanctuary is a major site for migratory vulture during winter and serves as an excellent paradise for vultures for roosting, resting, foraging, assemblage in Madhya Pradesh.
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