Seasonality and Nesting Pattern of Warblers in Ragi Fields

Insectivorous warblers, namely, Indian wren-warbler, Prinia subflava Sykes (IWW), streaked fantail warbler, Cisticola juncidis (Franklin) (SFW) and ashy wren-warbler, Prinia socialis Sykes (AWW) were found frequently in ragi fields. The seasonality of the warblers was observed from August to July. The commencement of seasonal activity of Indian wren-warbler started with the onset of crop tillering. There was continuous increase in their population till earhead maturity and declined then onwards till the crop was harvested. Such a trend was not observed in case of streaked fantail warbler and ashy wren-warbler. Their population was found to be stable throughout the cropping season. All the three species utilized ragi fields for nesting. These insectivorous warblers placed their nests at different heights of the crop stand. The heights of the nests positively correlated with the plant heights (r=0.74; y=7.01+0.67; p< 0.001; SE=7.76).