Faecal analysis of Nahan's Francolin Francolinus nahani, Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda.

Abstract

Nahan's Francolin Francolinus nahani is an endangered, shy tropical forest bird species (Urban, Keith & Fry, 1986; Bennun, Dranzoa & Pomeroy, 1996; Plumptre, 1996; BirdLife International, 2000). Therefore, it is difficult to follow and observe their foods and feeding in their natural environment. Records show that they eat insects, small mollusks, green shoots, seeds and bulbs (Urban et al. 1986, Fuller, Carroll & McGowan, 2000). The faecal analysis method for determining the principal foods eaten by birds is good because neither the adults nor the chicks are affected or harmed (Moreby, 1988). However, limited information is available on identifying the arthropod components (Green, 1984; Moreby, 1988, 1993). Our goal was to understand the constituents of the food eaten by Nahan's Francolin.