바로가기메뉴

본문 바로가기 주메뉴 바로가기

logo

  • KOREAN
  • P-ISSN2287-8327
  • E-ISSN2288-1220
  • SCOPUS, KCI

ISSN : 2287-8327

Article Contents

Prev Next
e-Submission

Vol.33 No.2

Citation Share

Feeding activity of cattle egrets and intermediate egrets at different stages of rice culture in Korea

Journal of Ecology and Environment / Journal of Ecology and Environment, (P)2287-8327; (E)2288-1220
2010, v.33 no.2, pp.149-155



& (2010). Feeding activity of cattle egrets and intermediate egrets at different stages of rice culture in Korea. Journal of Ecology and Environment, 33(2), 149-155.

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the feeding efficiency of the cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) and the intermediate egret (Ardea intermedia) in relation to the stage of rice culture during two breeding seasons, 2006 and 2007, in Asan city,Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. Cattle egrets caught mainly small invertebrate prey (insects and spiders, 98.4%)during all stages of rice cultivation, and had a higher prey capture rate in the plowing stage (14.98 prey/min) than in other stages (2.82-3.51 prey/min). Therefore, the biomass intake rate of cattle egrets was highest in the plowing stage. The intermediate egret captured both loaches (43.4%) and small invertebrates (50.6%). The prey capture rates of intermediate egrets increased gradually from the flooding stage (0.38 prey/min) to the planting stage (1.09 prey/min), and decreased in the growing stage (1.04 prey/min). However, intermediate egrets had the highest biomass intake rates in the plowing stage because more loaches were caught in the plowing stage (0.54 loaches/min) than other stages (0.23-0.36loaches/min). Consequently, both intermediate egrets and cattle egrets had high energy intakes in the plowing stage and rice fields provided an important feeding habitat for both species.

keywords
cattle egrets, feeding activity, intermediate egrets, rice fields, stage of rice culture

Reference

1.

Bayer RD. 1985. Bill length of herons and egrets as an estimator of prey size. Colonial Waterbirds 8: 104-109.

2.

Burger J, Gochfeld M. 1983. Behavior of nine avian species at a Florida garbage dump. Colonial Waterbirds 6: 54-63.

3.

Burger J, Gochfeld M. 1989. Age differences in Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis, foraging with wild ungulates in Kenya. Ardea 77: 201-204.

4.

Campos F, Lekuona JM. 2001. Are rice fields a suitable foraging habitat for Purple Herons during the breeding season? Waterbirds 24: 450-452.

5.

Choi YS, Kwon IK, Yoo JC. 2007. Foraging habitat preferences of herons and egrets. J Ecol Field Biol 30: 237-244.

6.

Choi YS, Kwon IK, Yoo JC. 2008. A study of feeding methods in five species of herons and egrets in Korea. J Ecol Field Biol 31: 147-151.

7.

Dinsmore JJ. 1973. Foraging success of cattle egrets, Bubulcus ibis. Am Midl Nat 89: 242-246.

8.

Elphick CS. 2000. Functional equivalency between rice fields and seminatural wetland habitats. Conserv Biol 14: 181-191.

9.

Elphick CS, Oring LW. 1998. Winter management of Californian rice fields for waterbirds. J Appl Ecol 35: 95-108.

10.

Fasola M. 1986. Resource use of foraging herons in agricultural and nonagricultural habitats in Italy. Colonial Waterbirds 9: 139-148.

11.

Fasola M, Ruiz X. 1996. The value of rice fields as substitutes for natural wetlands for waterbirds in the Mediterranean region. Colonial Waterbirds 19 (Special Publication 1): 122-128.

12.

Fasola M, Canova L, Saino N. 1996. Rice fields support a large portion of herons breeding in the Mediterranean region. Colonial Waterbirds 19 (Special Publication 1): 129-134.

13.

Fujioka M, Lane SJ. 1997. The impact of changing irrigation practices in rice fields on frog populations of the Kanto Plain, central Japan. Ecol Res 12: 101-108.

14.

Fujioka M, Armacost JW Jr, Yoshida H, Maeda T. 2001. Value of fallow farmlands as summer habitats for waterbirds in a Japanese rural area. Ecol Res 16: 555-567.

15.

González-Solís J, Bernadí X, Ruiz X. 1996. Seasonal variation of waterbird prey in the Ebro Delta rice fields. Colonial Waterbirds 19 (Special Publication 1): 135-142.

16.

Hafner H, Dugan PJ, Boy V. 1986 Use of artificial and natural wetlands as feeding sites by Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta L.) in the Camarge, southern France. Colonial Waterbirds 9: 149-154.

17.

Kazantzidis S, Goutner V. 1996. Foraging ecology and conservation of feeding habitats of Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) in the Axios River delta, Macedonia, Greece. Colonial Waterbirds 19 (Special Publication 1): 115-121.

18.

Kushlan JA, Hafner H. 2000. Heron Conservation. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

19.

Kushlan JA, Hancock JA. 2005. The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

20.

Lane SJ, Fujioka M. 1998. The impact of changes in irrigation practices on the distribution of foraging egrets and herons (Ardeidae) in the rice fields of central Japan. Biol Conserv 83: 221-230.

21.

Lee JH, Yun JC, Kim ST, Park HH, Uhm KB. 2002. Arthropod community structures in rice fields in Korea. In: Ecology of Korea (Lee DW, Jin V, Choe JC, Son YH, Yoo SJ, Lee HY, Hong SK, Ihm BS, eds). XIII INTECOL International Congress of Ecology, Seoul, pp 257-269.

22.

Lombardini K, Bennetts RE, Tourenq C. 2001. Foraging success and foraging habitat use by Cattle Egrets and Little Egrets in the Camargue, France. Condor 103: 38-44.

23.

Maeda T. 2001. Patterns of bird abundance and habitat use in rice fields of the Kanto Plain, central Japan. Ecol Res 16: 569-585.

24.

Metz KJ, Prior KA, Mallory ML. 1991. Do cattle egrets gain information from conspecifics when foraging? Oecologia 86: 57-61.

25.

Narusue M, Uchida H.1993. The effect of structural changes of paddy fields on foraging egrets. Strix 12: 121-130.

26.

Ormerod SJ, Watkinson AR. 2000. Editor’s introduction: birds and agriculture. J Appl Ecol 37: 699-705.

27.

Ovenden GN, Swash AR, Smallshire D. 1998. Agri-environmental schemes and their contribution to the conservation of biodiversity in England. J Appl Ecol 35: 955-960.

28.

Richardson AJ, Taylor IR. 2003. Are rice fields in southeastern Australia an adequate substitute for natural wetlands as foraging areas for egrets? Waterbirds 26: 353-363.

29.

Richardson AJ, Taylor IR, Growns JE. 2001. The foraging ecology of egrets in rice fields in southern New South Wales, Australia. Waterbirds 24: 255-264.

30.

Sato N, Maruyama N. 1996. Foraging site preference of Intermediate Egrets Egretta intermedia during the breeding season in the eastern part of the Kanto Plain, Japan. J Yamashina Inst Ornithol 28: 19-34.

31.

StatSoft. 2004. STATISTICA for Windows. Version 7. StatSoft, Inc., Tulsa, OK.

32.

Thompson CF, Lanyon SM, Thompson KM. 1982. The influence of foraging benefits on association of Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) with cattle. Oecologia 52: 167-170.

33.

Tojo H. 1996. Habitat selection, foraging behaviour and prey of five heron species in Japan. Jap J Ornithol 45: 141-158.

34.

Tourenq C, Sadoul N, Beck N, Mesléard F, Martin JL. 2003. Effects of cropping practices on the use of rice fields by waterbirds in the Camargue, France. Agr Ecosyst Environ 95: 543-549.

35.

Wilson AL, Watts RJ, Stevens MM. 2008. Effects of different management regimes on aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity in Australian rice fields. Ecol Res 23: 565-572.

36.

Yamazaki M, Hamada Y, Kamimoto N, Momii T, Kimura M. 2004. Composition and structure of aquatic organism communities in various water conditions of a paddy field. Ecol Res 19: 645-653.

37.

Zar JH. 1999. Biostatistical Analysis. 4th ed. Prentice Hall International, London.

Journal of Ecology and Environment

e-Submission OA Policy