Nesting Behavior of the Mongolian Ground Jay (Podoces hendersoni) in the Gobi Desert of Southern Mongolia

Abstract

The Mongolian ground jay is a species of least concern globally, but is of vulnerable in Mongolia mainly due to habitat fragmentation and habitat loss. There have been limited studies focused on the natural behaviors of the parent Mongolian ground-jays. We monitored a family of ground jays in the Southern Gobi, and studied the parental behaviors using a camera trap. This paper details the post-incubation parental behaviors of one ground jay family—that is, two parents and three young—for 19 days in May 2018. During the 19 days, we accumulated 869.6 hours of behavioral observations. Through monitoring their behaviors, we discovered that the female feeds the male when the chicks are vulnerable and featherless, while the male spends more time covering the chicks for insulation and protection. We also found correlations between temperature and the bird’s activity levels. We reported on the amount and type of food brought to nestlings, and found that the most frequent prey items were toad-headed agama and unidentified small insects.

Keywords

• camera trap
• gobi
• mongolian ground jay