Abstract
This study of relationships between grassland birds and their resources was conducted in 1975-1976 on the plains portion of the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. The objectives were a) to test the hypothesis that food was the principal proximate factor determining the distribution of birds on the Serengeti plains as suggested by conventional competition theory, and b) to construct qualitative descriptions of the relationships of various groups of birds to their habit and food resources. The Serengeti grasslands were quite rich in numbers of species and in numbers of individuals (average density was 500 birds/km2). I selected 19 study species and recognized 4 guilds based on food habits: Graminivores (3 species), Omnivores (2 species), Specialized Insectivores (2 species which concentrated on ants and termites), and Generalized Insectivores (12 species). Over 80% of the food requirements of the Serengeti plains avifauna was satisfied by arthropods. Variations in biomass of bird species, groups of bird species, groups of arthropods, and select vegetation structural and conditional parameters were examined with univariate and multivariate contrast analyses. Specifically, I examined variation among sites of different grass species composition and structure and variation between the wet and dry seasons at the various sites. In addition, the seasonal analysis allowed me to identify groups of birds which were essentially resident or highly mobile. The dry season abundance of arthropods was surprisingly high with wet-dry season differences much lower anticipated.
Folse, Leon Joseph (1978). Avifauna-resource relationships on the Serengeti plains. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -323591.