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).