RESEARCH ARTICLE

CONSEQUENCES OF FRAGMENTATION ON TERRITORY QUALITY OF Copsychus malabaricus IN THE WESTERN PART OF MIHINTALE SANCTUARY SRI LANKA

Abstract

Habitat fragmentation involves the division of large, contiguous areas of habitat into smaller patches isolated from one another (Johnson 2001).It adversely affects the territory of birds by inhibiting dispersal among remaining patches, decreasing breeding success and altering their territory behaviors. The present study was carried out from March to August in 2013 at the western border of the Mihintale Sanctuary in Sri Lanka to investigate the consequences of fragmentation on territory quality of White-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus) in a selected forest patch of the sanctuary and analyzing their diurnal behavioral patterns and breeding success.

The territories were selected in both disturbed (fragmented) and undisturbed (nonfragmented) areas. Territory mapping was done with Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) method with GPS, diurnal behavior variations were sampled using the focal sampling method and breeding success was analyzed using nest survival rate.

The results revealed that fragmentation influences size of the territory, diurnal behavioral patterns and breeding success of White-rumped shama (WRS). When the fragments decrease the size of territory areas, breeding success and their diurnal behaviors changed. As the WRS recognize as an interior forest dweller, fragmentation influences to move this bird towards the disturbed areas. Therefore conservation strategies should be developed to conserve the avifauna in fragmented habitats.

Keywords: White-rumped shama, Territory, Fragmentation, Mihintale Sanctuary

How to Cite: Dilhari,W.M.M, Wickramasinghe,S, (2016). CONSEQUENCES OF FRAGMENTATION ON TERRITORY QUALITY OF Copsychus malabaricus IN THE WESTERN PART OF MIHINTALE SANCTUARY SRI LANKA.WILDLANKA, 4(1):Pages 007-012

Published On:2016-03-30

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