Habitat use and population dynamics of the Azure-Winged Magpie ...

and combinations of focal birds if they were banded. This was usually done at the same time as
activity observations.
I also recorded food items taken by C. cyanus. If a food item could not be identified immediately,
I brought a sample back to the field station and sought help from other scientists who were
familiar with plants and animal species from this region.
I opportunistically recorded any interactions occurring within the C. cyanus group (e.g.
aggressive behaviour, allofeeding), including who was the aggressor/ victim, or feeder/ recipient.
I also recorded interactions between C. cyanus and other bird species with similar ecology, such
as the Eurasian Jay, Garrulus glandarius, Wagtails Motacilla spp. and woodpeckers
Dendrocopus spp..
Table 2.1 Definitions of activities performed by focal bird
Activity Definition of activity
Bathe Immersing part or whole body inside water-body
Call Opening beak and vocalising
Drink Actively swallowing at or close to a water-body
Feed The act of swallowing, or has food in its beak, regardless of how food was obtained
Probe Inserting beak into substrate (e.g. tree bark or soil)
Search Actively looking and moving, apparently searching for food but has no food in mouth
nor feeding
Snatch Obtaining food item without leaving its original position (e.g. taking prey from midair
while sitting on a branch)
Glean Using beak and running it along a substrate, e.g. along a tree branch
Hawk Catching food item in mid-air, either using beak or claws
Perch Remaining still on a tree-branch
Perch and Perching/ standing on a substrate, then leaping or jumping onto another substrate on
pounce food item
Preen Using beak like a comb while grooming feathers
Pursue Actively moving after prey, either in air or ground
Rest Perching on a tree branch, not moving and eyes shut
Transit Pauses in a location (e.g. tree or shrub) for less than 30 seconds 4
Interactions Performing a behaviour directed toward one or more other birds, or acting in a
behaviour that induces a change in the behaviour of other individual(s) (conspecifics
or interspecifics) such as attacking, allofeeding, chasing etc
4
This behaviour was usually seen when the whole group was transiting in an area before going somewhere, and was
not included in my instantaneous sampling.
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