Foraging activity of the re-introduced milky storks (Mycteria cinerea) in Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary Perak Malaysia

Hishamuddin Omar, . and Ahmad Ismail, . and Mohamed Zakaria, . and Faid Rahman, . and Shamarina Shohaimi, . Foraging activity of the re-introduced milky storks (Mycteria cinerea) in Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary Perak Malaysia. pp. 217-229. ISSN 1511-3701

The milky stork is an endangered waterbird species that is currently being re-introduced in the Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary Perak Malaysia. However little information is available on the re-introduced populations adaptation and activity especially of that related to foraging. To fill this gap a new group of re-introduced population released between 2013 and 2014 was followed and studied. During the early release period (January “ February 2013) the population incorporated the natural sites (intertidal areas mudflats and riverbeds) and also the shrimp farms almost equally as their foraging sites (50 each). Later (March “ May 2013) a shift from the natural foraging sites to the shrimp farms could be observed with increasing visits made to the latter area. However the storks incorporated the natural sites again between June and August 2013 most notably during their breeding activity. Nonetheless there was a significant reliance on the newly built shrimp farms (monthly mean visits 17.6 1.26 p 0.001) and a high percentage of shrimp consumption (30 - 48) compared to other prey was recorded in the subsequent period (September “ June 2014). Furthermore the principal component analysis (PCA) indicates that the foraging activity of the waterbirds was more likely tied to the area or size of the foraging sites which were heavily influenced by the anthropogenic activity in Kuala Gula. In addition there is a concern over the prolonged utilization of the shrimp farms and their resource as the milky storks could be exposed to several hazardous pollutants in the long run.

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Abstract

The milky stork is an endangered waterbird species that is currently being re-introduced in the Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary Perak Malaysia. However little information is available on the re-introduced populations adaptation and activity especially of that related to foraging. To fill this gap a new group of re-introduced population released between 2013 and 2014 was followed and studied. During the early release period (January “ February 2013) the population incorporated the natural sites (intertidal areas mudflats and riverbeds) and also the shrimp farms almost equally as their foraging sites (50 each). Later (March “ May 2013) a shift from the natural foraging sites to the shrimp farms could be observed with increasing visits made to the latter area. However the storks incorporated the natural sites again between June and August 2013 most notably during their breeding activity. Nonetheless there was a significant reliance on the newly built shrimp farms (monthly mean visits 17.6 1.26 p 0.001) and a high percentage of shrimp consumption (30 - 48) compared to other prey was recorded in the subsequent period (September “ June 2014). Furthermore the principal component analysis (PCA) indicates that the foraging activity of the waterbirds was more likely tied to the area or size of the foraging sites which were heavily influenced by the anthropogenic activity in Kuala Gula. In addition there is a concern over the prolonged utilization of the shrimp farms and their resource as the milky storks could be exposed to several hazardous pollutants in the long run.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Storks
AGROVOC Term:	Waterbirds
AGROVOC Term:	Endangered species
AGROVOC Term:	Animal reintroduction
AGROVOC Term:	Animal ecology
AGROVOC Term:	Foraging
AGROVOC Term:	Mangrove forests
AGROVOC Term:	Fish farms
AGROVOC Term:	Intertidal environment
AGROVOC Term:	Habitats
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:54
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9084

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