Practical Note Book

Submitted to:
Professor Doctor Noureen Rana

Submitted by:
Muhammad Aftab Uz Zaman

Regd No:
2018-ag-1020

Subject:
Wildlife

Ecological notes on:

1. Himalayan Monal

2. Common Crow

3. Starling

4. Leopard Cat

5. Gray Fox

6. European Badger

7. House rat

8. Brown Rat

9. Hedgehog

University of Agriculture Faisalabad

Science Block
 1.Himalayan Monal
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Lophophorus
Species: Lophophorus impejanus
Physical appearance:It is a relatively large-sized pheasant. The bird is about 70
centimeters long. The male weighs up to 2380 grams and the female 2150. The adult male
has multicoloured plumage throughout, while the female, as in other pheasants, is more
subdued in colour. Notable features in the male include a long, metallic green crest, coppery
feathers on the back and neck, and a prominent white rump that is most visible when the
bird is in flight. The tail feathers of the male are uniformly Rufus, becoming darker towards
the tips, whereas the lower tail coverts of females are white, barred with black and red. The
female has a prominent white patch on the throat and a white strip on the tail. The first-
year male and the juvenile resemble the female, but the first-year male is larger and the
juvenile is less distinctly marked.

Habitat and distribution:The Himalayan monal's native range extends

from Afghanistan and Pakistan through the Himalayasin India, Nepal, southern Tibet,
and Bhutan. In Pakistan, it is most common in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and has
also been recorded in Kaghan, Palas Valley, and Azad Kashmir. It lives in upper
temperate oak-conifer forests interspersed with open grassy slopes, cliffs and alpine
meadows between 2400 and 4500 meters, where it is most common between 2700 and
3700 meters. It descends to2000 m (6,600 ft) in the winter. It tolerates snow and digs through it to
obtain plant roots and invertebrate prey.

Reproduction:Reproduction and Breeding Breeding season for

the Himalayan monal pheasant is April through June. Most breeding takes place in the
higher altitudes where the monals tend to be in this season. Although the male will make
contact calls in the dawn throughout the year, during these months, his vocalizations take
place throughout the day.
Feeding habit:A highly communicative bird, the Himalayan monal uses several different
call types to express meaning to its mate, other birds in its foraging group, or intruding birds.
Males also use body displays to attract females; bobbing the head-crest and fanning their
tail feathers. The breeding season begins in April when the monals are at higher altitudes.
The male switches from calling only in the early morning to calling throughout the day.

IUCN Status:Population trend appears to be declining but does not lie under vulnerable
species criterion.

Picture:
 2.Common Crow
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Corvus
Species: Splendens

Physical appearance: It is between the jackdaw and the carrion crow in size (40 cm
(16 in) in length) but is slimmer than either. The forehead, crown, throat and upper breast
are a richly glossed black, whilst the neck and breast are a lighter gray-brown in colour. The
wings, tail and legs are black. There are regional variations in the thickness of the bill and
the depth of colour in areas of the plumage.

Habitat and Distribution:It has a widespread distribution in southern Asia, being native
to Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Laccadive Islands, South
West Thailand and coastal southern Iran. It was introduced to East
Africa around Zanzibar (about 1897)and Port Sudan. It arrived in Australia via ship but has
up to now been exterminated. Recently, it has made its arrival in Europe and has been
breeding in the Dutch harbour town Hook of Holland since 1998It is associated with human
settlements throughout its range, from small villages to large cities. In Singapore, there was
a density of 190 birds/km2 in 2001 with efforts to suppress the population in planning.

Feeding habit:House crows feed largely on refuse around human habitations,

small reptiles and mammals and other animals such as insects and other small
invertebrates, eggs, nestlings, grain and fruits. House crows have also been observed
swooping down from the air and snatching baby squirrels. Most food is taken from the
ground, but also from trees as opportunity arises. They are highly opportunistic birds and
given their omnivorous diet, they can survive on nearly anything that is edible. These birds
can be seen near marketplaces and garbage dumps, foraging for scraps. They have also been
observed to eat sand after feeding on carcasses.

Reproduction:In early spring, large flocks of crows break up into small groups of
two to five birds, usually made up of parents and last year's offspring. The male
courts the female either on the ground or in trees. During this display, the male
will fluff its wing and tail feathers, bob his head, and utter a breeding song. The
mating pair will then perch together and preen each other as part of the mating
process.
During this time, the pair will also establish a territory. The male and female
construct the nest together from late-March to mid-April. The crows build large
nests about 12 inches in diameter, out of sticks, weed stalks, and vines, then line
it with feathers, grass, and small roots.

IUCN Status:Stable population trend.

Picture:
 3.Starling
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sarcopterygii
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sturnidea
Genus: Sturnus
Species: Sturnus vulgaris
Physical appearance:These are stocky birds with short, stubby tails. Males and females
are identical with allover black plumage highlighted with an iridescent green and purple gloss
on the head, back, nape, flanks, and chest. After molting in late summer, these birds have buff,
whitish, or brownish tips to their feathers, giving them a heavily spotted look, though the
spots wear off by spring. The wings and tail are dark and edged with buff. The legs and feet
are red, and the bill is bright yellow during the breeding season.

Winter plumage is duller overall without the iridescent gloss, and the legs and feet are darker.
In winter, these starlings have a dull gray-black bill.
Juveniles are sooty gray all over, with slightly darker lore and a paler throat. Young birds have
black legs and feet and a dark bill.
Habitat and distribution:The European starling's native habitat includes a year-round
range in western Europe and around the Caspian Sea that expands to Scandinavia and
western Russia in the summer and the Iberian Peninsula, Middle East, and northern Africa in
the winter. These birds have been introduced in many regions worldwide, including South
Africa, Australia, and Newzealand. In North America, European starlings are found year-round
throughout the continental United States, northern Mexico, and southern Canada.
Regardless of where the birds are found, they prefer open habitats such as plains, agricultural
fields, and open woodlands. In urban and suburban areas they are frequently found in yards
and parks.
Feeding Habit:These starlings are omnivorous, opportunistic feeders. They eat a wide
range of insects, fruit, grain, suet, and seeds, and will also sample kitchen scraps and other
available foods, including carrion. This broad diet allows these birds to stay in many areas
throughout the year, even as food sources change.
While feeding, these birds forage on the open ground, prodding into short grass and soil with
their bills to seek out insects and grain as they walk around, with occasional hops in their gait.
They have been known to raid other birds and will readily steal from one another.
Reproduction:A mated pair of common starlings will produce 2-3 broods of 5-8 pale blue or
greenish oval-shaped eggs each during the breeding season.
Both parents incubate the eggs for 12-14 days, and both parents will feed the helpless, naked
chicks for an additional 19-21 days after hatching. After leaving the nest, the juvenile birds will
follow their parents for another one or two weeks begging and demanding food.
IUCN Status:Moderate decline in population.
Picture:
 4.Leopard Cat
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Falidae
Genus: Prionailurus
Species:Bangalensis
Physical appearance:A leopard cat is about the size of a domestic cat, but more slender,
with longer legs and well-defined webs between its toes. Its small head is marked with two
prominent dark stripes and a short and narrow white muzzle. There are two dark stripes
running from the eyes to the ears and smaller white streaks running from the eyes to the
nose. The backs of its moderately long and rounded ears are black with central white spots.
Body and limbs are marked with black spots of varying size and color, and along its back are
two to four rows of elongated spots. The tail is about half the size of its head-body length
and is spotted with a few indistinct rings near the black tip. The background color of the
spotted fur is tawny, with a white chest and belly. The fur color is yellowish brown in the
southern populations, but pale silver-grey in the northern ones. The black markings may be
spotted, rosetted, or may even form dotted streaks, depending on subspecies. In
the tropics, leopard cats weigh 0.55–3.8 kg (1.2–8.4 lb), have head-body lengths of 38.8–
66 cm (15.3–26.0 in), with long 17.2–31 cm (6.8–12.2 in) tails. In northern China
and Siberia, they weigh up to 7.1 kg (16 lb), and have head-body lengths of up to 75 cm
(30 in); generally, they put on weight before winter and become thinner until
spring. Shoulder height is about 41 cm (16 in).
Habitat and distribution:The leopard cat is the most widely distributed Asian small wild
cat. Its range extends from the Amur region in the Russian Far East over the Korean
Peninsula, China, Indochina, the Indian Subcontinent to northern Pakistan. It lives in
tropical evergreen rainforests and plantations at sea level, in
subtropical deciduous and coniferous forests in the foothills of the Himalayas at altitudes
above 1,000 m (3,300 ft). It is able to tolerate human-modified landscapes with vegetation
cover to some degree, and inhabits agriculturally used areas such as oil palm and sugar
cane plantations.
Feeding habit:Leopard cats are carnivorous, feeding on a variety of small prey including
mammals, lizards, amphibians, birds and insects. In most parts of their range, small rodents
such as rats and mice form the major part of their diet, which is often supplemented with
grass, eggs, poultry, and aquatic prey. They are active hunters, dispatching their prey with a
rapid pounce and bite. Unlike many other small cats, they do not "play" with their food,
maintaining a tight grip with their claws until the animal is dead. This may be related to the
relatively high proportion of birds in their diet, which are more likely to escape when
released than are rodents.
Reproduction:The breeding season of leopard cats varies depending on climate. In
tropical habitats, kittens are born throughout the year. In colder habitats farther north,
females give birth in spring. Their gestation period lasts 60–70 days. Litter size varies
between two and three kittens. Captive born kittens weighed 75 to 130 grams (2.6 to 4.6 oz)
at birth and opened their eyes by latest 15 days of age. Within two weeks, they doubled
their weight and were four times their birth weight at the age of five weeks. At the age of
four weeks, their permanent canines break through, and they begin to eat meat. Captive
females reach sexual maturity earliest at the age of one year and have their first litter at
the age of 13 to 14 months. Captive leopard cats have lived for up to thirteen years.
The estrus period lasts 5–9 days.

IUCN Status:Stable population.

Picture:
 5.Gray Fox
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Urocyon
Species: Cinereoargentus

Physical appearance:The gray fox is mainly distinguished from most other canids by its
grizzled upper parts, black stripe down its tail and strong neck, while the skull can be easily
distinguished from all other North American canids by its widely separated temporal ridges
that form a U-shape. There is little sexual dimorphism, save for the females being slightly
smaller than males. The gray fox ranges from 76 to 112.5 cm (29.9 to 44.3 in) in total length.
The tail measures 27.5 to 44.3 cm (10.8 to 17.4 in) of that length and its hind feet measure
100 to 150 mm (3.9 to 5.9 in). The gray fox typically weighs 3.6 to 7 kg (7.9 to 15.4 lb),
though exceptionally can weigh as much as 9 kg (20 lb).

Distribution and habitat:The species occurs throughout most rocky, wooded, brushy
regions of the southern half of North America from southern Canada (Manitoba through
southeastern Quebec) to the northern part of South America (Venezuela and Colombia),
excluding the mountains of northwestern United States. It is the only canid whose natural
range spans both North and South America. In some areas, high population densities exist
near brush-covered bluffs.

Feeding habit:The gray fox is an omnivorous, solitary hunter. It frequently preys on

the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) in the eastern U.S., though it will readily
catch voles, shrews, and birds. In California, the gray fox primarily eats rodents, followed
by lagomorphs, e.g. jackrabbit, brush rabbit, etc. In some parts of the Western United
States (such as in the Zion National Park in Utah), the gray fox is primarily insectivorous and
herbivorous. Fruit is an important component of the diet of the gray fox and they seek
whatever fruits are readily available, generally eating more vegetable matter than does
the red fox (Vulpes vulpes).
Reproduction:The gray fox is assumed monogamous. The breeding season of the gray fox
varies geographically; in Michigan, the gray fox mates in early March, in Alabama, breeding
peaks occur in February. The gestation period lasts approximately 53 days. Litter size ranges
from 1 to 7, with a mean of 3.8 young per female. The sexual maturity of females is around
10 months of age. Kits begin to hunt with their parents at the age of 3 months. By the time
that they are four months old, the kits will have developed their permanent dentition and
can now easily forage on their own. The family group remains together until the autumn,
when the young males reach sexual maturity, then they disperse.

IUCN Status:Stable population.

Picture:
 6. European Badger
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustilidae
Genus: Meles
Species: Meles
Physical appearance:European badgers are powerfully built animals with small heads,
thick, short necks, stocky, wedge-shaped bodies and short tails. Their feet
are plantigrade or semidigitigrade and short, with five toes on each foot. The limbs are
short and massive, with naked lower surfaces on the feet. The claws are strong, elongated
and have an obtuse end, which assists in digging. The claws are not retractable, and the
hind claws wear with age. Old badgers sometimes have their hind claws almost completely
worn away from constant use. Their snouts, which are used for digging and probing, are
muscular and flexible. The eyes are small and the ears short and tipped with
white. Whiskers are present on the snout and above the eyes.Adults measure 25–30 cm
(9.8–11.8 in) in shoulder height, 60–90 cm (24–35 in) in body length, 12–24 cm (4.7–
9.4 in) in tail length, 7.5–13 cm (3.0–5.1 in) in hind foot length and 3.5–7 cm (1.4–2.8 in)
in ear height. Males (or boars) slightly exceed females (or sows) in measurements, but can
weigh considerably more. Their weights vary seasonally, growing from spring to autumn and
reaching a peak just before the winter. During the summer, European badgers commonly
weigh 7–13 kg (15–29 lb) and 15–17 kg (33–37 lb) in autumn.

Distribution and habitat:The European badger is native to most of Europe and parts of
western Asia. In Europe its range includes Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Crete, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great
Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova,
Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine. In Asia it occurs in Afghanistan, China ,
Iran, Iraq and Israel.
The European species being situated on the western bank. They are common in European
Russia, with 30,000 individuals having been recorded there in 1990. They are abundant and
increasing throughout their range, partly due to a reduction in rabies in Central Europe.The
European badger is found in deciduous and mixed woodlands, clearings, spinneys,
pastureland and scrub, including Mediterranean maquis shrubland. It has adapted to life in
suburban areas and urban parks, although not to the extent of red foxes. In mountainous
areas it occurs up to an altitude of 2,000 meters (6,600 ft).

Feeding habit:Along with brown bears, European badgers are among the least
carnivorous members of the Carnivora; they are highly adaptable and
opportunistic omnivores, whose diet encompasses a wide range of animals and
plants. Earthworms are their most important food source, followed by
large insects, carrion, cereals, fruit and
small mammals including rabbits, mice, shrews, moles and hedgehogs. Insect prey
includes chafers, dung and ground beetles, caterpillars, leatherjackets, and the nests
of wasps and bumblebees. They are able to destroy wasp nests, consuming the occupants,
combs, and envelope, such as that of Vespula rufa nests, since thick skin and body hair
protect the badgers from stings.Cereal food includes wheat, oats, maize and
occasionally barley. Fruits include windfall apples,
pears, plums, blackberries, bilberries, raspberries, strawberries, acorns, beechmast, pign
uts and wild arum corms.

Reproduction:Estrus in European badgers lasts four to six days and may occur
throughout the year, though there is a peak in spring. Sexual maturity in boars is usually
attained at the age of twelve to fifteen months but this can range from nine months to two
years. Males are normally fecundduring January–May, with spermatogenesis declining in
summer. Sows usually begin ovulating in their second year, though some exceptionally
begin at nine months. They can mate at any time of the year, though the main peak occurs
in February–May, when mature sows are in post partial estrus and young animals
experience their first estrus. Mating occurring outside this period typically occur in sows
which either failed to mate earlier in the year or matured slowly.
IUCN Status:Population trend is stable.
Picture:
 7.House Rat/Black rat
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Rattus
Species: Rattus

Physical appearance:A typical adult black rat is 12.75 to 18.25 cm (5.0 to 7.2 in) long,
not including a 15 to 22 cm (5.9 to 8.7 in) tail, and weighs 75 to 230 g (0.165 to 0.507 lb),
depending on the subspecies.Despite its name, the black rat exhibits several colour forms. It
is usually black to light brown in colour with a lighter underside. In England during the 1920s,
several variations were bred and shown alongside domesticated brown rats. This included
an unusual green-tinted variety. The black rat also has a scraggly coat of black fur, and is
slightly smaller than the brown rat.

Distribution and habitat:The black rat originated in India and Southeast Asia, and
spread to the Near East and Egypt, and then throughout the Roman Empire, reaching
Great Britain as early as the 1st century A.D.. Europeans subsequently spread it throughout
the world. The black rat is again largely confined to warmer areas, having been supplanted
by the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) in cooler regions and urban areas. In addition to the
brown rat being larger and more aggressive, the change from wooden structures and
thatched roofs to bricked and tiled buildings favored the burrowing brown rats over the
arboreal black rats. In addition, brown rats eat a wider variety of foods, and are more
resistant to weather extremes.

Feeding habit:Black rats are considered omnivores and eat a wide range of foods,
including seeds, fruit, stems, leaves, fungi, and a variety of invertebrates and vertebrates.
They are generalists, and thus not very specific in their food preferences, which is indicated
by their tendency to feed on any meal provided for cows, swine, chickens, cats, and
dogs. They are similar to the tree squirrel in their preference of fruits and nuts. They eat
about 15 grams per day and drink about 15 milliliters per day. Their diet is high in water
content. They are a threat to many natural habitats because they feed on birds and insects.
They are also a threat to many farmers, since they feed on a variety of agricultural-based
crops, such as cereals, sugar cane, coconuts, cocoa, oranges, and coffee beans.

Reproduction:Black rats are prolific, but they produce smaller and fewer litters than the
Norway rat. After a gestation period of approximately 22 days, an average litter of about six
young are born. It has been estimated that each adult female produces approximately 40
young per year . In the park, breeding probably occurs throughout the warmer months of
the year.

Young black rats mature rapidly and are weaned when about three weeks old. They are able
to reproduce at approximately three months of age.

IUCN Status:Population trend is stable.

Picture:
 8.Brown Rat
Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Family: Muridae

Genus: Rattus

Species: Rattus

Physical appearance:The fur is coarse and usually brown or dark gray, while the
underparts are lighter gray or brown.The head and body length ranges from 15 to 28 cm
(5.9 to 11.0 in) while the tail ranges in length from 10.5 to 24 cm (4.1 to 9.4 in), therefore
being shorter than the head and body. Adult weight ranges from 140 to 500 g .Exceptionally
large individuals can reportedly reach 900 to 1,000 g but are not expected outside of
domestic specimens. Stories of rats attaining sizes as big as cats are exaggerations, or miss
identifications of larger rodents, such as the coypu and muskrat. In fact, it is common for
breeding wild brown rats to weigh (sometimes considerably) less than 300 g.

Distribution and habitat:Possibly originating from the plains of Asia, northern China and
Mongolia, the brown rat spread to other parts of the world sometime in the Middle
Ages. The question of when brown rats became commensal with humans remains unsettled,
but as a species, they have spread and established themselves along routes of human
migration and now live almost everywhere humans are.

Feeding habit:The brown rat is a true omnivore and will consume almost anything, but
cereals form a substantial part of its diet.Martin Schein, founder of the Animal Behavior
Society in 1964, studied the diet of brown rats and came to the conclusion that the most-
liked foods of brown rats include scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese, raw carrots, and
cooked corn kernels. According to Schein, the least-liked foods were raw beets, peaches,
and raw celery.
Foraging behavior is often population-specific, and varies by environment and food
source. Brown rats living near a hatchery in West Virginia catch fingerling fish. Some
colonies along the banks of the Po River in Italy will dive for mollusks, a practice
demonstrating social learning among members of this species. Rats on the island
of Norderoog in the North Sea stalk and kill sparrows and ducks.

Reproduction:The brown rat can breed throughout the year if conditions are suitable,
with a female producing up to five litters a year. The gestation period is only 21 days, and
litters can number up to 14, although seven is common. They reach sexual maturity in about
five weeks. Under ideal conditions (for the rat), this means that the population of females
could increase by a factor of three and a half (half a litter of 7) in 8 weeks (5 weeks for
sexual maturity and 3 weeks of gestation), corresponding to a population growing by a
factor of 10 in just 15 weeks. As a result, the population can grow from 2 to 15 000 in a
year. The maximum life span is three years, although most barely manage one. A yearly
mortality rate of 95% is estimated, with predators and inter-species conflict as major causes.
IUCN Status:Population trend is stable.
Picture:
 9.Hedgehog
Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Eulypotyphla

Family: Erinaceidae

Genus: Erinoceus

Species: Europaeus

Physical appearance:Hedgehogs are easily recognized by their spines, which are hollow
hairs made stiff with keratin. Their spines are not poisonous or barbed and unlike the
quills of a porcupine, do not easily detach from their bodies. However, the immature
animal's spines normally fall out as they are replaced with adult spines. This is called
"quilling". Spines can also shed when the animal is diseased or under extreme stress.

Distribution and habitat:Hedgehogs range throughout Eurasia south of the taiga and
tundra (excluding Japan and the Tibetan Plateau) into Asia Minor and the Arabian
Peninsula, most of Africa (excluding tropical rainforest), and various portions of India. The
western European hedgehog inhabits forest margins, grasslands, scrub, hedgerows, and
suburban gardens. It also has been introduced into New Zealand. The desert hedgehog
(Hemiechinus aethiopicus) survives in the extremely arid Sahara and on the Arabian
Peninsula, where populations are concentrated around oases and vegetated wadis.

Feeding habit:Although traditionally classified in the now abandoned order Insectivora,

hedgehogs are omnivorous. They feed on insects, snails, frogs and toads, snakes, bird
eggs, carrion, mushrooms, grass roots, berries, melons and watermelons. Berries
constitute a major part of an Afghan hedgehog's diet in early spring after hibernation.

Reproduction:Depending on the species, the gestation period is 35–58 days. The

average litter is 3–4 newborns for larger species and 5–6 for smaller ones. As with many
animals, it is not unusual for an adult male hedgehog to kill newborn males.
Hedgehogs have a relatively long lifespan for their size. Larger species of hedgehogs live 4–
7 years in the wild (some have been recorded up to 16 years), and smaller species live 2–4
years (4–7 in captivity), compared to a mouse at 2 years and a large rat at 3–5 years. Lack
of predators and controlled diet contribute to a longer lifespan in captivity (8–10 years
depending on size).
Hedgehogs are born blind with a protective membrane covering their quills, which dries and
shrinks over the next several hours. The quills emerge through the skin after they have been
cleaned, or it falls off.
IUCN Status:Population trend is stable.
Picture: