Winter food habits of the Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Viverridae) in Patna Bird Sanctuary, India

Abstract

Food habits of the Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus were investigated using scat analysis method, a technique widely used to study small and medium sized mammals. We analyzed 112 scats of Common Palm Civet between November 2012 and March 2013 from the Patna Bird Sanctuary and found a total of nine food items. Out of 112 scats, 32.09% scats contained three food items, 29.62% scats had two items, 24.69% scats contained four prey items, and 3.7% scats had seven prey items. The results show that the Common Palm Civet is more frugivorous (ca. 39.28%) than insectivores (ca. 29.46%). Percent frequency of occurrence showed that insects contributed maximum in the diet of Civet (29.46±2.29) followed by fruits of Ficus religiosa (19.64±1.13), Prosopis juliflora (11.60±0.18), and Date Palm (Phoenix sylvestrix) (8.03±0.23), while birds contributed 9.82±0.02 and rodents 6.25±0.44. Rufous-tailed Hare (Lepus nigricollis ruficaudatus) (1.78±0.96) contributed the minimum in the Common Palm Civet diet. PBS is an Important Bird Area site and it harbours thousands of migratory birds during winter. But the results show that birds are a less preferred diet item of the Common Palm Civet.