Time allocation of daily behaviors in subtropical passerine finch,spotted munia (Lonchura punctulata)

In birds, daily behavioral patterns that occur in response to intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli help us to understand the influence of ecological factors on them. The time allotment for an activity is important to maintain energy budget and maximize the chances of survival. In this study, we monitored daily patterns of flying/hopping and feeding/drinking behaviors through a video camera in spotted munia (Lonchura punctulata) maintained in 12L:12D. The results showed that munia is diurnal and shows bimodal pattern of all behaviors except feeding which was trimodel. The flying and hopping had similar amplitude, but feeding frequency was higher than drinking. The time allocation was maximum for flying/hopping followed by feeding and then drinking. The results suggest that daily behaviors in munia occur in patterns and have a timing component.