ABSTRACT

The White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) is listed as a critically endangered bird species by BirdLife International due to the rapid population decline. Before this study, nothing was known about the night roosting behaviour of this imperiled species. Here, we report on the night roosting behaviour of the White-bellied Herons in Punatsangchhu and Mangdechhu river basins of Bhutan. There was a significant difference in landing and takeoff flights between the short- and long-day periods (P <0.05). Overall, the night roosting behaviour was dominated by sleeping (65 ± 11 min). We also documented two prominent behaviours that were thermoregulatory in function. The White-bellied Herons roosts solitarily on the tree branches in the night and makes extensive use of the night roosting trees. Therefore, night roosting trees are essential for consideration while assessing the home range size of the White-bellied Herons for their better conservation and management.

摘要

白腹苍鹭 ( Ardea insignis) 由于人口迅速减少，被国际鸟类保护联盟列为极度濒危鸟类。在这项研究之前，人们对这种濒危物种的夜间栖息行为一无所知。在这里，我们报告了白腹苍鹭在不丹的 Punatsangchhu 和 Mangdechhu 河流域的夜间栖息行为。短日间和长日间起降航班有显着差异（P<0.05）。总体而言，夜间栖息行为以睡眠为主（65 ± 11 分钟）。我们还记录了两个在功能上具有体温调节功能的突出行为。白腹鹭在夜间独自栖息在树枝上，大量利用夜间栖息的树木。所以，