Nesting habitat and nest directionality of the Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica maxima (Schreber, 1784) (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae) in the Nelliyampathy Reserve Forest, Western Ghats, Kerala, India

Abstract

The information on selection of nesting habitat and nest directionality for arboreal species is crucial in developing conservation and management plan for the species. We studied the factors which affect the nesting habitat selection and the nest orientation by using the quadrat sampling method in Nelliyampathy Reserve Forest, Kerala. A total of 119 nest sites were observed on 26 different tree species in four different habitat types. Around 56.30% and 36.13% of the nests were sighted in contiguous forests and plantation with native tree shade, respectively. Of the 119 nests, 112 were in trees of height up to 30 m. Cullenia exarillata, Mesua ferrea, Actinodaphne malabarica, and Schleichera oleosa accounted for 45.4% of the nest with 15.9%, 11.8%, 9.2% and 8.4% nests, respectively. About 24.4% of the nests were directed towards the north-east direction (n = 29) whereas least preferred direction was the south (n = 05). This shows that the nests are oriented towards sun rise and to avoid wind and rainfall of monsoon which is foreseen from the south-west direction.