A study of the life history of Blue Magpie (3). Chick foods

Abstract

1. Foods were collected from Blue Magpie nestlings Cyanopica cyana by collar method at two places in Shinonoi City, Nagano, Honshiu, during July 1965. Chicks were collared 60 minutes with vinyl cord.2. 29 species of chick foods were collected, which included only one vegetable item, fruits of Morus bombycis. Among animal matters, Platypleura kaempferi, Eristalis cerealis, Armadillidium unglare, along with Morus bombycis as a plant matter, were common items at the two places, and local faunal difference and food preference of parent birds were discussed.3. In frequency, insects occupied 72% of chick foods, comprising 22% Diptera, 9.2% Coleoptera, and 6.4% Orthoptera etc. Their frequencies as adult, young or pupae stages were shown by a graph.4. Chick foods little differed by age and Morus fruits and some insects were given at all ages.5. The raw weights of foods per chick were measured and twice as much were given during the middle or later nestling period compared with early stage of the chicks.