Does Weather Play an Important Role in the Early Nesting Activity of Colonial Waterbirds? A Case Study in Putrajaya Wetlands, Malaysia - Ahmad Ismail,; Faid Rahman, (Tropical Life Sciences Research, 2013)
Environmental factors can play important roles in influencing waterbird communities. In particular, weather may have various biological and ecological impacts on the breeding activities of waterbirds, though most studies have investigated the effect of weather on the late stages of waterbird breeding (e.g., hatching rate, chick mortality). Conversely, the present study attempts to highlight the influence of weather on the early nesting activities of waterbirds by evaluating a recently established mixed-species colony in Putrajaya Wetlands, Malaysia. The results show that only rainfall and temperature have a significant influence on the species' nesting activities. Rainfall activity is significantly correlated with the Grey Heron's rate of establishment (rainfall: rs = 0.558, p = 0.03, n = 72) whereas both temperature and rainfall are associated with Painted Stork's nesting density (temperature: rs = 0.573, p = 0.013; rainfall: rs = –0.662, p = 0.03, n = 48). There is a possibility that variations in the rainfall and temperature provide a cue for the birds to initiate their nesting. Regardless, this paper addresses concerns on the limitations faced in the study and suggests long-term studies for confirmation. Faktor persekitaran mampu mempengaruhi komuniti burung air. Cuaca khususnya mampu memberi pelbagai impak dari segi biologi dan ekologi terhadap aktiviti pembiakan burung air, namun kebanyakan kajian yang dilakukan lebih melihat kepada kesan cuaca di peringkat akhir pembiakan burung air (contohnya, kadar penetasan, kematian anak ayam dan lain lain). Sebaliknya, kajian ini cuba untuk mengkaji pengaruh cuaca terhadap aktiviti awal bersarang burung air melalui pemerhatian terhadap koloni burung air yang terdiri daripada pelbagai spesies yang baru terbentuk di Tanah Lembap Putrajaya, Malaysia. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa hujan dan suhu mempunyai pengaruh yang besar ke atas aktiviti-aktiviti awal spesies yang sedang bersarang. Aktiviti hujan menunjukkan korelasi signifikan dengan kadar bersarang burung Pucung Seriap (hujan: rs = 0.558, p = 0.03, n = 72) manakala kedua-dua suhu dan hujan berkait rapat dengan kepadatan burung Botak Padi (suhu: rs = 0.573, p = 0.013; hujan: rs = –0.662, p = 0.03, n = 48). Terdapat kemungkinan perubahan aktiviti hujan dan suhu memberi petunjuk kepada populasi burung air yang dikaji untuk mula bersarang khususnya bagi burung Botak Padi. Penulisan kajian ini turut mengemukakan kekangan yang dihadapi dalam kajian serta mencadangkan kajian jangka panjang dijalankan bagi mengesahkan penemuan kajian ini.