Comparative Behavioral Thermoregulation in Acridotheres tristis, Passer domesticus, and Corvus splendens During Autumn to Early Winter in Swat, KPK, Pakistan: Behavioral Thermoregulation: Acridotheres tristis, Passer domesticus, and Corvus splendens

Azmat Ali

doi:10.54393/mjz.v7i1.219

Authors

Azmat Ali Department of Zoology, Government Post Graduate Jahanzeb College, Saidu Sharif, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/mjz.v7i1.219

Keywords:

Behavioral Thermoregulation, Avian Ecology, Myna, Sparrow, Crow, Sun Exposure, Plumage Fluffing

Abstract

Behavioral thermoregulation is important for avian energy conservation, yet field studies on urban birds in Pakistan remain limited. Objectives: To compare thermoregulatory behavior among Acridotheres tristis, Passer domesticus, and Corvus splendens from autumn to early winter in Swat Valley, Pakistan. Methods: This is an observational study. Seventy-five focal observations (25 per species) were conducted between September and December 2025 in urban and semi-urban habitats. Data were analyzed in R 4.5.1 using ANOVA, chi-square, Fisher's Exact, Kruskal–Wallis tests, multinomial logistic regression and correlation analysis. Results: Ambient temperature did not differ significantly among species (ANOVA: F₂, ₇₂ = 0.048, p=0.953), nor did behavioral composition (Fisher's Exact Test: p=1.000). Movement activity differed significantly across day periods (χ² = 31.35, p<0.001) and sunlight conditions (χ² = 38.01, p<0.001). Ambient temperature varied significantly among movement categories (Kruskal–Wallis: χ² = 8.70, p=0.013), with high movement occurring under warmer temperatures. Multinomial logistic regression showed that increasing temperature significantly raised the likelihood of high and moderate movement, while partial sunlight strongly reduced high movement behavior. Behavioral composition was strongly associated with day period (Fisher's Exact: p<0.001) and sun exposure (χ² = 54.67, p<0.001). Conclusions: Behavioral thermoregulation in urban birds of Swat Valley was strongly associated with environmental conditions rather than species identity, highlighting flexible behavioral responses to seasonal thermal variation.

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