Distribution and Habitat Selection of Grey Francolin (Francolinus Pondicerianus) in Swegali Game Reserve District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Fazal Baqi

doi:10.35691/jbm.0202.0148

Abstract

Animals use some habitats and quit others. It is essential to examine resource which is of great interest to the animal for its survival. Distribution and habitat selection of Grey Francolin was examined in Swegali game reserve during June 2007. Twelve line transects 200 meters wide and average 3.73 kilometers long were laid down randomly for collection of data from 06h00-20h00 and observed 58 Grey francolins singly or in pairs. Distributed of Grey francolin was observed in three of the available six habitat types including woody ravines, shrub land and agricultural fields. Chi-squared test showed that Grey francolin displayed significant habitat selection and highly significant preference for woody ravines, northerly aspects and foraged in the morning and evening, a slight drag to the afternoon was also observed. The study can contribute to planning of management interventions for the study species and its preferred habitats. It might assist policy makers to devise policies pertaining to agriculture, study species and their habitats to mitigate encroachment into marginal lands for agriculture, human settlements, use of pesticides and unregulated hunting, assessment of the effects of resource use on wild populations, planning and policy decisions for habitat management and harvest levels.

Highlights

Animal ecology focuses on use of environment, including food and habitat by an animal species (Johnson, 1980)
The results showed that Grey francolins displayed a significant degree of habitat selection
Grey francolin prefer northerly aspects and foraging in the morning and evening to reduce heat stress in summer, Grey francolin of five birds might be an antipredator strategy to forage in groups

Summary

Introduction

Animal ecology focuses on use of environment, including food and habitat by an animal species (Johnson, 1980). Animals use some habitats more frequently and stay away from others (Krebs, 1999). Availability of suitable habitat is essential for proper nourishing of animal population. It is critical to examine the resources that are more important for survival of a species (Manly et al, 1993). The main causes for decline of the population of Grey francolin include conversion of habitats into agricultural lands, human settlements, mechanized farming adaptations, use of pesticides and unmanaged hunting. The true reasons of its population decline are uninvestigated (Khan, 1999)

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion