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belly and underwing, with a striking white lower belly.
It was clearly an adult. At least one female Great
Frigatebird was identified in the group. Several females
with white spurs on the axillary feathers were also
observed, however I could not determine whether they
were Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel or Christmas
Island Frigatebird (possibly both were present).
Frigatebirds are regular along the coast near Dili
with observations of small numbers every few days in
the period March–May 2003. A large group of up to 150
individuals was frequently seen at Manatutu. The only
other record of Christmas Island Frigatebird for Timor
was also of a single adult male, observed along the coast
near Kupang on 26 June 1986 (McKean 1987).
The Christmas Island Frigatebird is considered a
vagrant to the Lesser Sundas (BirdLife International
2001). However it should be emphasised that limited
and highly sporadic effort has been expended by
ornithologists along the coasts of these islands.
Further, this ornithological note is the first based on
direct observations in Timor-Leste since 1973
(McKean et al. 1975, see also Trainor and Soares 2004,
this issue).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Fieldwork in East Timor, undertaken on behalf of BirdLife
International Asia Programme, was supported by the Asia Bird Fund
of BirdLife International, with principal support from The Garfield
Foundation and the BirdLife Rare Bird Club.
REFERENCES
BirdLife International (2001) Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife
International Red Data Book. Cambridge, U.K.: BirdLife
International.
Coates, B. J. and Bishop, K. D. (1997) A guide to the birds of Wallacea.
Alderley, Australia: Dove Publications.
Johnstone, R. E., van Balen, S., Dekker, R. W. R. J. (1993) New
bird records for the island of Lombok. Kukila 6: 124–127.
McKean, J. L. (1987). A first record of Christmas Island Frigatebird
Fregata andrewsi on Timor. Kukila 3: 47.
McKean, J. L., Mason, I. J. and O’Connor, L. W. (1975) Birds not
previously recorded from Timor. Emu 75: 62–64.
Trainor, C. R. and Soares T. (2004) Birds of Atauro Island, Timor-
Leste (East Timor). Forktail 20: 41–48.
Forktail 20 (2004) 91SHORT NOTES
Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata (taxonomic
treatment follows BirdLife International 2004) ranges
from North Africa, through the Middle East to
Mongolia. In Pakistan, where the present study was
carried out, it is largely a winter visitor (Cramp 1980,
Roberts 1991–1992).The species is omnivorous, eating
fruit, seeds, shoots, leaves and flowers, with animal prey
including locusts, grasshoppers, mole-crickets, and
beetles (Cramp 1980). Here we describe gizzard
contents of Houbara Bustards collected in Punjab,
Pakistan.
METHODS
A total of 34 Houbara Bustard gizzards were collected
during 1999–2000 from hunting parties and local
trappers in Rajanpur/Rojhan, Thal and Cholistan
regions, Punjab, to determine the food preferences.
Samples were immediately fixed in 10% formaldehyde.
Unfortunately it was not possible to record mass, age
and sex of the birds. Plant and animal matter of
contents were separated, weighed and identified in the
Botany and Zoology Departments, University of the
Punjab, Lahore.
RESULTS
Most of the matter found in the Houbara Bustard
gizzards was plant material (78% by mass). Parts of
seeds, leaves, flowers and young shoots of 19 plant
species belonging to 11 families were identified
(Table 1). The most frequent included Dipterygium
glaucum (91% of samples and 40% of total dry mass),
Capparis decidua (65% and 2.7% respectively),
Haloxylon salicornicum (35% and 1.7%) and Farsetia
hamiltonii (32% and 11%). Among the animal matter,
the most frequent species was Adesmia aenescens (94%
of samples and 11% of total dry mass), Pimelia indica
(24% and 2.2% respectively), and Arthrodosis sp. (21%
and 2.5%). The proportion of animal matter appeared
to increase from October to February (Table 2).
DISCUSSION
The results presented here accord well with other
studies of Houbara Bustard diet. In Pakistan, Mirza
(1971) analysed gizzard contents of 100 individuals,
and reported that 88% of samples contained both plant
matter (including the genera Haloxylon, Farsetia,
Fagonia, Tribulus, Zygophyllum, and Crotalaria) and
animal matter (including insects such as grasshoppers
Diet of Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata in
Punjab, Pakistan
MUHAMMAD SAJID NADEEM, FAIZ ALI and M. SAEED AKHTAR
Colin R.Trainor, 3 Empire Crt Anula 0812, Northern Territory, Australia. Email: Halmahera@hotmail.com
Forktail 20 (2004)
and beetles). The remainder were comprised solely of
plant material. Fox (1988) examined 52 gizzards of
Houbara Bustard from Balochistan, Layyah and
Rajanpur regions of the Punjab. Plants made up of
63% of dry weight, and the most frequently recorded
species were Farsetia jacquemontii, Capparis spp. and
Tr ibulus terrestris.The most frequently recorded
tenebrionid beetles included Adesmia aenescens (23%),
Pimelia indica and Pimelia inexpectata (20% together),
and Arthrodosis sp. (10%). Unidentified beetles and
weevils were found in 68% of samples, and grasshop-
pers were found in 16% of samples. Gubin (1995)
found that beetle remains were present in 50% of
faecal samples.
Roberts (1991–1992) noted that the proportion of
animal matter increased from 17% in early winter to
51% by late winter. This was thought to reflect the
increased need for protein prior to breeding. We also
recorded a gradual increase in the proportion of animal
matter through the winter, with a sharp increase to
94% dry mass in March, although the sample size was
small.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the Houbara Foundation International Pakistan for
funding this work, and especially its president, Brigadier (Retired)
Mukhtar Ahmed for his extraordinary cooperation in completing this
work, and its staff for their help. We are also grateful to: M. S. Zahoor
(Botany Department, Punjab University, Lahore), and Muhammad
Arshad (Cholistan Development Institute, Islamia University,
Bahawalpur) for identification of plant material; Kashif Mahmood
(Entomology Department, Agricultural University Faisalabad) for
identification of animal matter; Abdul Rashid and Muhammad Amin
(Punjab Wildlife Department); and Rana Jamal.
92 SHORT NOTES
Ta ble 1. Gizzard contents from Houbara Bustards.
Plant matter
Capparidaceae Dipterygium glaucum Phel 602 40 91
Capparis decidua Daila 40 2.7 65
Cruciferae Farsetia hamiltonii Lathia 161 11 32
Brassica sp. Mustard 13 0.9 5.9
Zygophyllaceae Fagonia indica Dharman 88 5.8 26
Tr ibulus longipetalus Bakhra 15 1.0 21
Leguminosae Cicer arietinum Chickpea 33 2.2 5.9
Indigofera sp. Syian 7.9 0.5 15
Chenopodiaceae Haloxylon salicornicum Lana 25 1.7 35
Salsola baryosma Gora Lana 24 1.6 21
Suaeda fruticosa Kali Lani 18 1.2 12
Rhamnaceae Ziziphus nummularia Beri 14 0.9 5.9
Ziziphus mauritiana Beri 2.4 0.2 2.9
Boraginaceae Heliotropium sp. 11 0.7 21
Oleaceae Oligochaeta ramosa 4.2 0.3 8.8
Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia prostrata Dhodhial 3.1 0.2 5.9
Cucurbitaceae Citrullus colocynthis Tuman 2 0.1 5.9
Gramineae Sorghum bicolor Jawar 1.6 0.1 2.9
Panicum turgidum Moruth 7.4 0.5 21
Unidentified 90 6.0
Animal matter
Tenebrionidae Adesmia aenescens 165 11 94
Arthrodosis sp. 38 2.5 21
Pimelia inexpectata 36 2.4 8.8
Pimelia indica 33 2.2 24
Blaps macronata Darkling beetle 7.5 0.5 8.8
Trachyderma sp. 2.2 0.1 8.8
Unidentified beetle 1.6 0.1 5.9
Formicidae Formica rufa Desert ant 8 0.5 12
Scarabaeidae Scarabaeus cateratus Dung roller 3.5 0.2 5.9
Tetrigidae Tetrix subulata Groundhopper 0.1 0.0 2.9
Unidentified 40 2.7
Stones 7 0.5 5.9
Family Species Common name Mass (g) % total mass % freq.
Ta ble 2. Seasonal variation in % mass of animal and plant matter
from Houbara Bustard gizzards.
Oct 5 1.9 98
Nov 1 3.0 97
Dec 3 8.2 92
Jan 10 19 81
Febr 13 16 84
Mar 2 94 5.6
Total 34 18 82
Month No. samples % mass animal % mass plant
matter matter
REFERENCES
BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD-
ROM. Cambridge, U.K.: BirdLife International.
Cramp, S. (1980) The birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. 2. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Fox, N. (1988) Notes on the analyses of Houbara Bustard stomach
contents from Balochistan and Punjab. Unpublished report.
Gubin, B. N. (1995) Breeding biology of Houbara Bustard in
Taukum desert. National Avian Research Center Abu Dhabi,
and Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences,
Republic of Kazakhstan. Unpublished report.
Mirza, Z. B. (1971) Houbara faces trial. Outdoorman 1: 40–42.
Roberts, T. J. (1991–1992) The birds of Pakistan. Karachi: Oxford
University Press.
Forktail 20 (2004) 93SHORT NOTES
Muhammad Sajid Nadeem, Zoology Department, New Campus, Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Email: sajidnm@hotmail.com
Faiz Ali, IUCN, Babar Road, Gilgit, Pakistan.
M. Saeed Akhtar, Zoology Department, New Campus, Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan.
While carrying out an ornithological survey of Royal
Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve, Nepal, on 22 December
2002, we heard an unusual bird call by the edge of Rani
Ta l marshes (28
o
51
’
N 80
o
11
’
E). We located the bird
moving low just above the water at the edge of tall (1 m
high) Phragmites karka and Saccharum arundinaceum
grasses. We had several clear views to within 5 m at
10h35 for 15 minutes, using 10x50 and 8x42 binocu-
lars. The weather was cool and foggy with a light wind.
In the field, the bird appeared to be same size as
Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola but slightly
more plump. It had a distinct broad white supercilium, a
darker eye-stripe, dark ear-coverts, whitish throat, light
rufous and unstreaked rump, and a streaked head and
back. The call appeared to be distinctly different from
any other Acrocephalus spp. warblers occurring at this site.
We immediately identified the species as Moustached
Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon using Grimmett et al.
(1999). HSB and TG were familiar with the species from
Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan, India.
We visited the site again on 24 and 25 December and
made further observations of at least three individuals to
as close as two metres. One individual was trapped,
measured, photographed and released. In the hand, the
supercilium was almost white, and terminated rather
broadly behind eye. The crown, lores and moustachial
area were dark grey-brown.The mandible was dark grey
except for the base of lower mandible which was fleshy
pink. The mantle and head were streaked with dark
brown. The tarsi and feet were dark grey, with pale
yellow soles. The call was a muffled, ‘throaty’ and thick
treck as described in Mullarney et al.(1999).The follow-
ing measurements were taken: wing: 60 mm; tarsus: 20.6
mm; bill length: 10.5 mm; weight 10 g.
These field notes and the photographs were checked
with Grimmett et al. (1998, 1999) and Svensson (1992)
and confirmed the identification as Moustached
Warbler.This constitutes the first record for Nepal.
Within the Indian subcontinent, this species has
been reported in India and Pakistan, where it is
described as a winter visitor, possibly breeding in small
numbers in northern areas (Ali and Ripley 1987,
Roberts 1992, Grimmett et al. 1998). It is interesting to
note that Inskipp and Inskipp (1991) had predicted the
species to occur in west Nepal.We suspect this species
to be either a passage migrant, or winter visitor, to
Nepal in small numbers.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank Koshi Camp Pvt. Ltd and Silent Safari Pvt.
Ltd for funding this recent visit to Sukila Phanta on behalf of Bird
Conservation Nepal. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife
Conservation helped us by providing free entrance to the reserve.
Thanks to Carol and Tim Inskipp for commenting on the text.
REFERENCES
Ali, S. and Ripley, S. D. (1987) Handbook of the birds of the Indian
subcontinent. Compact edition. Bombay: Oxford University Press.
Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1991) A guide to the birds of Nepal.
London: Christopher Helm.
Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1998) Birds of the Indian
subcontinent. London: Christopher Helm.
Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1999) Pocket guide to the
birds of the Indian subcontinent. Christopher Helm, London.
Mullarney, K., Svensson, L., Zetterstrom, D. and Grant, P. J. (1999)
Collins bird guide. London: Harper Collins.
Roberts, T. J. (1992) Birds of Pakistan. Karachi: Oxford University
Press.
Svensson, L. (1992) Identification guide to European passerines.
Thetford, U.K.: British Trust for Ornithology.
Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon:
first record for Nepal
HEM SAGAR BARAL, TIKA GIRI, BADRI CHOUDHARY and SOM GC
Hem Sagar Baral,Tika Giri, Badri Choudhary and Som GC, Koshi Camp, P. O. Box 21016, Lazimpat, Kathmandu,
Nepal. Email: birdlife@mos.com.np
