Environmental correlates of the annual fattening cycle of Spotted munia,<i>Lonchura punctulata</i>(Aves, Estrildidae)

Abstract

Abstract Spotted munia exhibits a distinct annual periodicity in body weight, which does not coincide with the annual temperature and photoperiodic changes. A seasonal variation in daily feeding pattern could be associated with the cycle. An endogenous circannual oscillator with a periodicity of about 10 months may also be involved. This bird, therefore, may prove to be a suitable model for the studies of interaction of daily and annual events with respect to circannual rhythms.