Birds generally play significant
roles in maintaining balance within the ecosystem. Finches are often used in
studying evolution and in tracing possibilities of speciation. Many finches
were studied in captivity, and so much is needed to be done on studying birds
within the natural environment. What do they do to survive in the natural
environment? This question need answers. Red-Cheeked cordon-bleu are beautiful
finches with blue and rufous colours, with the males having unmistakable red colour
around their cheeks. These birds have silently suffered from threat
related problems within their environment, and only few studies mentioned it,
as studying animals’ behavior and relating it to the threats emanating from the
environment is a herculean task faced by ecologists.
Some birds move in a flock or
associate with other flocks of different species. Why is it so? Animals in the
wild environment needs to feed and avoid been fed upon by their predator. They tend
to move in flocks to have high advantage over their predators. When birds are
in flock, they can easily detect predators than when they are alone. When they
are in flock, they have many eyes and many ears to sight or hear the predators
coming. They usually raise their heads up to scan for predators. Though it is
true that being in flocks help them in anti-predatory vigilance, but their
vigilance rate, tend to reduce when they are in flocks too.
A brief study was carried in Amurum Forest
Reserve in Jos, Plateau state, Nigeria. The study aimed at finding out if flock
size affects vigilance in the birds. It also aimed at determining whether
vigilance differ between sexes in the Red-cheeked cordon-bleu. Why this
research was necessary, was to use the vigilance in determining the extent of
threats faced by the birds in the natural environment and what the birds do to
feed and avoid being fed upon by their predators. Different flocks of
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu were observed using binocular; a focal sampling was
carried. Head-downs was used as an index of none—vigilance, while head-ups was
used as an index of vigilance. Number of heads-up were counted per minute in
each flock for three days. The outcome of the study showed that, there is relationship
between flock size of Red-cheeked Cordon bleu and their vigilance. The result
also showed that, males are more vigilant than the females while in the natural
environment. What could this outcome means in the ecology of these beautiful
birds and the threats they faced in the environment? When the birds are in
lower number within a flock, their vigilance seem to increase for fear of
predators that prey upon them while foraging. The vigilance rate tend to reduce
with increasing number of individuals of same species or different associating
species because of many eyes advantage with portray the truth that, the higher
the flock size, the more easy is the detectability of predators. The study has
the highest number of head-up (vigilance) of thirty five, and lower vigilance of
seven.
Flock size of twenty four, had estimated vigilance of seven while flock
size of two, had the estimated vigilance of thirty nine. This indicates that,
the more the flock size of the birds, the more their vigilance reduces, and the
fewer they are in the flock, the more their vigilance against predators
increased. The males in their protective behavior, tend to have high vigilance
than the females. Vigilance, is a necessity for the survival of birds and other
wild animals. The more vigilant a bird is, can be used in determining the
extent of threat face by the bird within the environment. Most of the threats
can either be natural or anthropogenic. In relation to the outcome of the
study, we want to suggest that, planting of more trees and shrubs will help in
increasing the security of birds generally, in the reserve and anywhere in a
forests. Most birds need cover to hide from predators, and to avoid heat stress
that can affect their physiology.
Brief study carried by:
Williams Michael Manja
And
Ibrahim Josiah kalaks
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