Some notes on the winter diet and feeding behaviour of the Rock Bunting Emberiza cia in southern Montenegro
Nekaj opazovanj skalnega strnada Emberiza cia pri prehranjevanju v zimskem času v južni Črni gori
Peter Sackl1 & Tina Petras Sackl2
1	LandesmuseumJoanneum, Forschungsstätte Pater B. Hanf, Raubergasse 10, A-8010 Graz, Austria, e-mail: peter.sackl@museum-joanneum.at
2	Balos 7, SI-4290 Tržič, Slovenia, e-mail: tina.petras@ gmail.com
The summer diet of Rock Buntings Emberiza cia consists of adult and larval invertebrates, while the species moves to almost exclusively plant food in late summer. According to studies in continental Europe and Asia the birds feed during winter mainly on the seeds (caryopsis) and leaves of grasses and low herbs, including the grains of wheat Triticum sp. (Cramp & Perrins 1994, Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer 1997). Although Rock Bunting is a widespread resident in mountainous Mediterranean climates and a common winter visitor to coastal lowlands (Kristin & Mosimann 1997), aside of stomach contents analysed by Rucner (1971) and a summer study from Spain cited by Cramp & Perrins (1994), there is very little information on the winter diet and feeding habits of the species in the Mediterranean region.
According to bird surveys which we conducted for Euronatur (Radolfzell, Germany) in 2003 and annual visits since November 2004, the species is an irregular winter visitor to the alluvial floodplains of the Bojana/Buna Delta at the east coast of the Adriatic Sea in Albania and Montenegro. Although we noted a number of singing males in the mountainous hinterlands of the delta around Ulcinj, Saško Jezero, on Mount Vidikovac and the old castle of Shkodra in spring and summer, between October — January we saw only solitary birds and a small flock in Ulcinj in Montenegro (Schneider-Jacoby et al. 2006).
Together with Jakob Smole and Borut Stumberger we observed solitary Rock Buntings at Mala Plaža in the centre of the city on 14 Nov 2003 and in the rocks below the old town (Stari Grad / Kajala) on 30 Jan 2004.
Il
Figure 1: Rock Bunting Emberiza cia in winter plumage feeding on the caryopsis of Arrow Reed Arundo plinii while perched on the erect culm; Velika Plaža, Ulcinj, Montenegro, 15 Nov 2006 (photo: P. Sackl)
Slika 1: Skalni strnad Emberiza cia v zimskem perju med hranjenjem z golimi zrni plinijeve trstenike Arundo plinii, sedeč na pokončnem steblu; Velika Plaža, Ulcinj, Crna gora (foto: P. Sackl)
Both records are < 1 km from the nesting sites of > 3 singing males in the outskirts of the city. In November 2003 the bird was feeding on the ground below a Fig Ficus carica in a narrow green space between the steep rock face of the old town and the quay of the modern city. The latter is heavily used by traffic. On the ground below the Fig which was sparsely covered with low grasses (Poaceae), we noted scattered pieces of bread and the rotten leaves of discarded salad. Before it was disturbed by traffic, the bird was obviously feeding on the salad.
In addition, in the late morning of 15 Nov 2006 we encountered a mixed flock of 6 Rock, 3 Reed E. schoeniclus and a female Cirl Bunting E. cirlus on the sandy track which runs along the inland side of the coastal sand dunes of Velika Plaža outside of Ulcinj (Vasic 1979, Schneider-Jacoby et al. 2006). The birds were feeding on the bare sand close to the edge of the track, which is covered on both sides with low herbs, grasses, blackberries Rubus sp., sedges, and taller reeds. The reed we later identified as Arundo plinii, a relative of the better known Giant Reed A. donax. After a few minutes, while we observed the flock from the car, a Rock Bunting flew up to the reeds and started to feed on the lower part of a seed-head by sitting on the erect culm below the panicle (Figure 1). The genus Arundo is not listed as food for the Rock Bunting in either English or German handbooks (Cramp & Perrins 1994, Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer 1997).
A few seconds later three more Rock Buntings started to feed in the same way in nearby tussocks of
A. plinii by working up the panicle till the culms bent down and they were sitting horizontally above ground while feeding (Figure 2). We later measured their perching height to 1.8 — 2 m above ground. Rock Buntings are known to take seeds and other plant materials mostly from the ground, and from stems, leaves and seed-heads, which they reach from ground, neighbouring perches or by pulling them down while standing on ground (Cramp & Perrins 1994). In contrast to the Reed Bunting which according to Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer (1997) prefers to sit horizontally on reeds and seed-heads while singing or feeding, to our knowledge a similar feeding behaviour
Figure 2: Feeding Rock Bunting Emberiza cia by sitting on the panicle of the Arrow Reed Arundo plinii; Velika Plaža, Ulcinj, Montenegro, 15 Nov 2006 (photo: P. Sackl)
Slika 2: Skalni strnad Emberiza cia med hranjenjem na plinijevi trsteniki Arundo plinii, sedeč na latu; Velika Plaža, Ulcinj, Črna gora (foto: P. Sackl)
and perching height for E. cia is mentioned only by Schwabe & Mann (1990) for southern Germany, while feeding on the panicles of Calamagrostis arundinacea grasses. The central European forms of this grass, whose scientific name derives from the similarity of its habitus to giant reeds of the genus Arundo, reach maximum heights of 0.6 — 1.2 m (Hegi 1935).
Povzetek
Vprispevkusodokumentiranaopažanjaskalnegastrnada Emberiza cia v zimskem času med prehranjevanjem. Novembra 2003 je bil opažen en osebek, ki se je hranil z gnilimi listi odvržene solate na Mali plaži v središču Ulcinja v Crni gori. Novembra 2006 sva opazovala na peščenih sipinah Velike plaže manjšo jato skalnih strnadov. Ta je sedela na pokončnem steblu ter na upognjenem latu plinijeve trstenike Arundo plinii. Strnadi so sedeli na rastlini 1.8 — 2 m visoko (slika 1
& 2). Po znanih podatkih je to prvi primer opažanja skalnih strnadov pri prehranjevanju s trsteniko in prvi primer opisanega načina prehranjevanja.
References
Cramp, S. & Perrins, C. M. (1994): Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic, Vol. 9. — Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York. Glutz von Blotzheim, U.N. & Bauer, K.M. (1997): Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas, Bd. 14/III (Passeriformes, 5. Teil). — Aula-Verlag, Wiesbaden. Hegi, G. (1935): Illustrierte Flora von Mittel-Europa, Bd. I,
2. Aufl. — J. F. Lehmanns Verlag, München. Kristin, A. & Mosimann, P. (1997): Rock Bunting. pp. 749 — In: Hagemeijer, W.J.M. & Blair, M.J. (eds.), The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds. — T. & A. D. Poyser, London. Rucner, R. (1971): Osvrt na životna staništa vrste Emberiza cia L. u zapadnim predjelima Jugoslavije. — Larus 25: 27
—	46.
Schneider-Jacoby, M., Schwarz, U., Sackl, P., Dohra, D., Saveljic, D. & Stumberger, B. (2006): Rapid Assessment of the Ecological Value of the Bojana-Buna Delta (Albania/Montenegro). — Stiftung Europäisches Naturerbe (Euronatur), Radolfzell. Schwabe, A. & Mann, P. (1990): Eine Methode zur Beschreibung und Typisierung von Vogelhabitaten, gezeigt am Beispiel der Zippammer (Emberiza cia).
—	Ökol. Vögel 12: 127 — 157.
Vasic, V.F. (1979): Sinekoloska skica ornitofaune Ulcinjskog primorja u periodu gnezdenja. Proc. II. Kongress, Savez drustva ekologa Jugoslavije, 1681 — 1689, Beograd.
Arrived / Prispelo: 3.2.2008 Accepted / Sprejeto: