Nest raiding by bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) and the response of nest guarding birds in a suburban habitat.

Abstract

In many primate species, nest raiding is a form of opportunistic foraging behavior designed to acquire protein-rich eggs and nestlings. In urban environments, this is a significant cause of nest failure in birds. Here, we describe nest raiding and egg predation in bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) inhabiting a suburban area of Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. During nest raiding, large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos) and house crows (Corvus splendens), actively defended their nest from the macaques. When several macaque foragers jointly raided the nest, they were successful in obtaining and consuming the eggs. In contrast, when a solitary macaque attempted to raid the nest, it was unsuccessful. Bird size appeared to play an important role in nest defense. Small birds, such as the scaly breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata) and the purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) were not able to protect their nests from lone bonnet macaques. These observations indicate that in urban landscapes, bonnet macaques are egg predators of many bird species. When macaques coordinate their actions and forage in small subgroups, they were more successful in preying on the eggs of larger-bodied bird species.