Diurnal activity patterns, habitat use and foraging habits of Egyptian goose (Alopochena egyptiacus Linnaeus, 1766) in the Boyo wetland, southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Egyptian goose (Alopochena egyptiacus) is a resident bird species in Africa South of the Sahara occurring throughout the entire Nile Valley. Despite the wide distribution, the available information on its behavioral ecology is limited in Ethiopia. A study on the activity patterns, habitat use and foraging habits of Egyptian goose was carried out in and around Boyo wetland, Ethiopia, during the dry and wet seasons. Scan sampling method was used to study the activity patterns and habitat use of Egyptian goose in grassland, mudflat and shallow water habitats of the wetland. The feeding behavior of Egyptian goose was also observed in the surrounding farmland habitats using scan sampling method. Generally, Egyptian geese spent most of their time resting (39.81%) followed by foraging (32.64%). They spent 10.43% of their time in comfort movement preening or stretching. The rest of their time was allocated for locomotion (6.63%), vigilance (5.75%), and social behavior (1.59%), and other activities (2.86%). Most of the birds were engaged in foraging activity in the morning (07:00-9:00 h) and afternoon (16:00 - 18:00 h) hours both during the wet and dry seasons. About 39% of Egyptian geese were scanned in mudflat, 31.5% in grassland, and 30.05% in shallow water habitats engaged in different activities. Most individuals used the grassland habitat for foraging during the dry (59.5%) and wet (74%) seasons, while they used shallow water and mudflat habitats for resting both during the wet and dry seasons seasons. The birds were observed foraging mainly grass during the dry (93.62%) and wet (59.52%) seasons. The Egyptian geese show diurnal activity pattern with feeding peaks in early morning and late afternoon hours as is observed in many other avian taxa. The Boyo wetland is also as an important foraging ground for this species and other birds in the area. Further ecological studies on the species and impact of human activities on the Boyo wetland should be conducted for the conservation of the avifauna.