Foraging Behavior of Endemic Dull-Blue Flycatcher (Eumyias sordidus) in Tropical Montane Cloud Forest Habitats of Sri Lanka

W.D.S.C. Dharmarathne, W.A.D. Mahaulpatha

Abstract: Foraging behavior of endemic dull blue flycatcher was studied from July 2015 to July 2017 at the cloud forests, cloud forest die back forests and grasslands of the Horton Plains National Park located on the southern plateau of the central highlands of Sri Lanka. In each habitat three 100m fixed length transects were placed using Global Positioning System and the foraging individuals were observed with a binocular. Total of 1694 foraging attempts were recorded during the study period.60.14 % of all foraging attempts were observed in the cloud forest habitat.34.17 % was recorded in the cloud forest dieback habitat and 5.7 % was recorded in the grassland habitat. Food searching behaviors of E. sordidus differed significantly among the three habitats (ANOVA, p

Keywords: Dull-blue Flycatcher, Foraging, Endemic Insectivore, Montane Cloud Forest