Food for Feeding Red-Whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus Pattani)

Abstract

Food of an economic bird, Red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus pattani), was investigated since November 2017 – August 2018 in yala province, Thailand. They were studied by applying survey method. The samples were the red-whiskered bulbul caretakers selected by convenience sampling. Deep Interview and rating scale questionnaires were used as research tools to find the kind of food for most likely tendency by average and percentages. The results showed that 98 percent of samples were male, their education level were undergraduate and lower. The average income was between 10,000 - 30,000 baht. The majority of food which the caretakers used for feeding their pet birds at different ages were the same. They were derived from plants 18 families, including 24 species. The main plants were Kluai Hin (Musa acuminata × balbisiana (ABB Group) ‘Saba’), Kluai Nahm Wa (Musa sapientum Linn.), papaya (Carica papaya L.), water melon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), chinese squash (Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.) and Tam Lueng (Coccinia grandis (L.) J.Voigt,). Some insect such as mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.), crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus), some species of grasshopper, and ant eggs were also provided. However, some caretakers mixed some supplements such as vitamins and chili curry into their food for feeding the mature pet bird. Meanwhile, honey and ready-made meals were only used into rearing their chicks.