4. Discussion
Animal behavioural traits often show wide and consistent variation among individuals (Dingemanse & Wolf, 2013; Wolf & Weissing, 2012) and this variation has often been suggested to facilitate population persistence in novel and variable environments (Sih et al., 2011). In the context of rapid human-induced environmental change, such as habitat loss and fragmentation, it’s urgent to integrate animal behaviour and wildlife conservation studies for maximizing outcomes (Berger-Tal et al., 2019; Greggor et al., 2016; Sutherland, 1998).
We found that the predatory waterbird had similar energetics despite distinct foraging methods, behaviour profiles, and foraging efficiency in shallow- and deep-water habitats. These results suggest that Scaly-sided Merganser is a good example of behavioural flexibility that aligns with expectations of optimum foraging theory (OFT) (Pyke, 1984), in that the duck behaves in accordance to resource availability in different environments, resulting in high foraging efficiency. The behavioural flexibility could be related to evolutionary adaptation (Snell-Rood, 2013).