Assessing dietary specialization to inform the conservation of the fairy pitta (Pitta nympha), an endangered vermivore.

ABSTRACT: Quantifying the diet of endangered species is crucial for conservation, especially for diet specialists, which can be more susceptible to environmental changes. The vulnerable fairy pitta (Pitta nympha) is considered a specialist that primarily feeds its nestlings with earthworms. However, there have been few studies of the nestling diet provisioned by parents, and no assessments of earthworm proportion in the diet of adults. Our study aimed to fill these gaps, shedding light on crucial factors for conservation. Combining new observations with existing literature, we confirmed a consistent dominance of earthworms in the nestling diet, regardless of rainfall, nestling age, and time of day. We extrapolated the total earthworm consumption during a breeding event, accounting for potenti

SUBMITTER: Park J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11064856 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature