Assessment on the parental care strategy of the yellow-vented bulbul pycnonotus goiavier in perak, malaysia

The parental care strategy and diet requirements of the yellow-vented bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier chicks were studied. The assessment was conducted based on the (1) number of feeding bouts (bouts/hour), (2) average time intervals between each feeding ( minutes/bouts) (3) feeding strategies (perch-go-in or direct-go-in) and (4) types of food items carried to the nest to feed the chicks. A total of 6000 minutes of direct observation from a close distance was performed for 10 days from 28th May 2016 until 6th June 2016 between 0700-1900 hours. Out of 816 independent feeding bouts, the parents preferred the perch-go-in ( 80.03%) as compared to the direct-go-in (19.97%) feeding strategy to feed the chicks in their nest. The average time spent for feeding was 7.50 +/- 3.84 minutes / bout (7.50 +/- 1.23 bouts/h), with the least number of bouts during the morning feeding time at 5.68 +/- 3.09 bouts/h. The most frequent food items comprised of invertebrates such as dragonflies (16.15%) and grasshoppers (11.35%) and fruits including Murraya koenigii ( 14.02%). The success of raising both the chicks depended on the nest placement, feeding strategy, food availability, predation risk and commitment of both parents.