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Cronicon OPEN ACCESS EC VETERINARY SCIENCE EC VETERINARY SCIENCE Guest Editorial Moringa oleifera: A Source of Preferred Food for Purple Sunbird Citation: Meera Srivastava. “Moringa oleifera: A Source of Preferred Food for Purple Sunbird”. EC Veterinary Science 5.6 (2020): 22-24. *Corresponding Author: Meera Srivastava, Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Government Dungar College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. Meera Srivastava* Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Government Dungar College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India Received: April 10, 2020; Published: May 27, 2020 Introduction The purple sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus (Passeriformes: Nectariniidae), is a small bird of the sunbird family found mainly in South and Southeast Asia, including India. Like other sunbirds they feed mainly on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feed- ing young. They have a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird but often perch at the base of flowers. The males can appear all black in harsh sunlight but the purple iridescence is visible on closer observation or under good light conditions. Females are olive above and yellowish below. These are generally seen in pairs. They are found in thin forest and garden land, including those in dense urban areas [1], usually perch to forage for nectar. They are important pollinators of some plant species such as Butea monosperma [2], Acacia [3], Woodfordia [4] and Dendrophthoe [5]. Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia. The flowers are fragrant and hermaphroditic, surrounded by five unequal, thinly veined, yellowish-white petals [6]. Almost all parts of Moringa are edible, with regional uses varying widely. The bark, sap, roots, leaves, seeds and flowers are used in traditional medicine [7]. It has an impressive range of medicinal uses with high nutritional value. Different parts of this plant contain a profile of important minerals, and are a good source of protein, vitamins, beta-carotene, amino acids and various phenolics. The Moringa plant provides a rich and rare combination of zeatin, quercetin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol. In addition to its compelling water purify- ing powers and high nutritional value, M. oleifera is very important for its medicinal value. Various parts of this plant such as the leaves, roots, seed, bark, fruit, flowers and immature pods act as cardiac and circulatory stimulants, possess antitumor, antipyretic, antiepileptic, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, antispasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, cholesterol lowering, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and antifungal activities and are being employed for the treatment of different ailments in the indigenous system of medi- cine, particularly in South Asia [8,9]. The observation area The present observations were taken in my house garden located in the city of Bikaner, Rajasthan, India (28°N latitude and 73°18’E longitudes) in the month of March 2020. The garden comprises of Moringa tree besides others like black plum (Syzygium cumini), curry leaf tree (Murraya koenigii), sweet lime (Citrus limetta), Rohida (Tecomella undulata) and species of ornamental and vegetable plants and creepers. Observations and Discussion The male as well as the female sunbirds were seen visiting the Moringa oleifera tree (Figure 1 and 2). Sometimes even the pair was documented together (Figure 3). Both the sexes were noted to visit the flowers of M. oleifera at very short intervals throughout the day from morning 7 am up to evening 6 pm feeding on nectar (Figure 4-7). No earlier report of sunbirds feeding on flower nectar of Moringa is available so far, although its visits to the tree have been documented by Srivastava [10]. Further, Ghadirian., et al. [11] reported the purple sunbird to feed on flowers’ nectar and fruits’ juices of 16 species of plants in Bandar Abbas which included Hibiscus rosachinensis, Acacia nilotica, A. salicina, Prosopis cineraria, Cordia myxa, Albizzia lebbeck, Convolvulus sp., Aloe vera, Bougainvillea glabra, Citrus limon, C. aurantium, C. sinensis, Tecoma stans, Calotropis procera, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Melia indica, Phoenix dactylifera, Among them, flowers of Chinese hibiscus were visited frequently (56%), followed by gum arabic tree Acacia nilotica, cashew Prosopis cineraria, sebesten Cordia myxa and lebbek tree Albizzia lebbeck. In autumn, winter and early spring, when flowers are abundant, sunbirds were seen to feed mainly on nectar. In late spring and summer, flowers of Acacia nilotica and Prosopis cineraria were frequently used, while in late summer fruits of Cordia myxa and Phoenix dactylifera were the best sources of food based on their observations. Figure 1: Male sunbird on M. oliefera tree.
Transcript of PDF - Cronicon · India. Meera Srivastava* Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Government Dungar...
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CroniconO P E N A C C E S S EC VETERINARY SCIENCE EC VETERINARY SCIENCE
Guest Editorial
Moringa oleifera: A Source of Preferred Food for Purple Sunbird
Citation: Meera Srivastava. “Moringa oleifera: A Source of Preferred Food for Purple Sunbird”. EC Veterinary Science 5.6 (2020): 22-24.
*Corresponding Author: Meera Srivastava, Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Government Dungar College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India.
Meera Srivastava*
Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Government Dungar College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
Received: April 10, 2020; Published: May 27, 2020
Introduction
The purple sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus (Passeriformes: Nectariniidae), is a small bird of the sunbird family found mainly in South and Southeast Asia, including India. Like other sunbirds they feed mainly on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feed-ing young. They have a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird but often perch at the base of flowers. The males can appear all black in harsh sunlight but the purple iridescence is visible on closer observation or under good light conditions. Females are olive above and yellowish below. These are generally seen in pairs. They are found in thin forest and garden land, including those in dense urban areas [1], usually perch to forage for nectar. They are important pollinators of some plant species such as Butea monosperma [2], Acacia [3], Woodfordia [4] and Dendrophthoe [5].
Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia. The flowers are fragrant and hermaphroditic, surrounded by five unequal, thinly veined, yellowish-white petals [6]. Almost all parts of Moringa are edible, with regional uses varying widely. The bark, sap, roots, leaves, seeds and flowers are used in traditional medicine [7]. It has an impressive range of medicinal uses with high nutritional value. Different parts of this plant contain a profile of important minerals, and are a good source of protein, vitamins, beta-carotene, amino acids and various phenolics. The Moringa plant provides a rich and rare combination of zeatin, quercetin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol. In addition to its compelling water purify-ing powers and high nutritional value, M. oleifera is very important for its medicinal value. Various parts of this plant such as the leaves, roots, seed, bark, fruit, flowers and immature pods act as cardiac and circulatory stimulants, possess antitumor, antipyretic, antiepileptic, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, antispasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, cholesterol lowering, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and antifungal activities and are being employed for the treatment of different ailments in the indigenous system of medi-cine, particularly in South Asia [8,9].
The observation area
The present observations were taken in my house garden located in the city of Bikaner, Rajasthan, India (28°N latitude and 73°18’E longitudes) in the month of March 2020. The garden comprises of Moringa tree besides others like black plum (Syzygium cumini), curry leaf tree (Murraya koenigii), sweet lime (Citrus limetta), Rohida (Tecomella undulata) and species of ornamental and vegetable plants and creepers.
Observations and Discussion
The male as well as the female sunbirds were seen visiting the Moringa oleifera tree (Figure 1 and 2). Sometimes even the pair was documented together (Figure 3). Both the sexes were noted to visit the flowers of M. oleifera at very short intervals throughout the day from morning 7 am up to evening 6 pm feeding on nectar (Figure 4-7). No earlier report of sunbirds feeding on flower nectar of Moringa is available so far, although its visits to the tree have been documented by Srivastava [10]. Further, Ghadirian., et al. [11] reported the purple sunbird to feed on flowers’ nectar and fruits’ juices of 16 species of plants in Bandar Abbas which included Hibiscus rosachinensis, Acacia nilotica, A. salicina, Prosopis cineraria, Cordia myxa, Albizzia lebbeck, Convolvulus sp., Aloe vera, Bougainvillea glabra, Citrus limon, C. aurantium, C. sinensis, Tecoma stans, Calotropis procera, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Melia indica, Phoenix dactylifera, Among them, flowers of Chinese hibiscus were visited frequently (56%), followed by gum arabic tree Acacia nilotica, cashew Prosopis cineraria, sebesten Cordia myxa and lebbek tree Albizzia lebbeck. In autumn, winter and early spring, when flowers are abundant, sunbirds were seen to feed mainly on nectar. In late spring and summer, flowers of Acacia nilotica and Prosopis cineraria were frequently used, while in late summer fruits of Cordia myxa and Phoenix dactylifera were the best sources of food based on their observations.
Figure 1: Male sunbird on M. oliefera tree.
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Moringa oleifera: A Source of Preferred Food for Purple Sunbirdc
Citation: Meera Srivastava. “Moringa oleifera: A Source of Preferred Food for Purple Sunbird”. EC Veterinary Science 5.6 (2020): 22-24.
Figure 2: Female sunbird on M. oliefera tree.
Figure 3: Both sexes ready to feed on nectar of M. oliefera flowers.
Figure 4 and 5: Male sunbird feeding on nectar of M.oliefera flowers.
Figure 6 and 7: Female sunbird feeding on nectar of M.oliefera flowers.
Flowers produce nectar to attract pollinators. The purple sunbird is attracted to red flowers which may have no smell [12], but during the present study, the sunbird was found to visit the creamish coloured flowers of Moringa. Klasing [12] has suggested that no sunbird is
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Moringa oleifera: A Source of Preferred Food for Purple Sunbirdc
Citation: Meera Srivastava. “Moringa oleifera: A Source of Preferred Food for Purple Sunbird”. EC Veterinary Science 5.6 (2020): 22-24.
Bibliography
1. Rasmussen PC and Anderton JC. “Birds of South Asia” The Ripley Guide. 2”. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Editions (2005): 548.
2. Majumdar N. “Occurrence of the Bengal Black Robin, Saxicoloides fulicata erythrura (Lesson) [Muscicapidae: Turdinae], and the As-sam Purple Sunbird, Nectarinia asiatica intermedia (Hume) [Nectariniidae] in Orissa State”. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 77.2 (1980): 334.
3. Tandon R., et al. “Reproductive biology of Butea monosperma (Fabaceae)”. Annals of Botany 92.5 (2003): 715-723.
4. Stone GN., et al. “Pollination ecology of acacias (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae)”. Australian Systematic Botany 16 (2003): 10-118.
5. Raju AJS. “Passerine bird pollination and seed dispersal in Woodfordia floribunda Salisb. (Lythraceae), a common low altitude woody shrub in the Eastern Ghats forests of India”. Ornithological Science 4.2 (2005): 103-108.
6. CABI. “Moringa oleifera (horseradish tree)” (2018).
7. NPCS Board. “Handbook on Agro Based Industries (2nd Revised edition)”. Niir Project Consultancy Services (2012): 66.
8. Anwar F., et al. “Moringa oleifera: a food plant with multiple medicinal use”. Phytotherapy Research 21.1 (2007): 17-25.
9. Gopalakrishnan., et al. “Moringa oleifera: A review on nutritive importance and its medicinal application”. Food Science and Human Wellness 5.2 (2016): 49-56.
10. Srivastava Meera. “A short note on food preference of parakeet Psittacula krameri as observed in a house garden at Bikaner, Rajast-han, India”. International Peer Reviewed and Refreed Journal 6.5 (2019):13-15.
11. Ghadirian Taher., et al. “Notes on feeding and breeding habits of Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica (Cinnyris asiaticus) in Bandar Ab-bas, Hormozgan, Southern Iran” (2008).
12. Klasing KC. “Comparative Avian Nutrition - Sh. Rahimi (transl. into Persian)”. Tarbiat Modarres, University Press, Tehran (2004): 517.
13. Ali S. “The Book of Indian Birds”. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2002): 326.
14. Alhakmani Fatma., et al. “Estimation of total phenolic content, in-vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of flowers of Mor-inga oleifera”. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 3.8 (2013): 623-627.
15. Srivastava Meera. “A note on faunal diversity as noted on the tree of Moringa oleifera in a house garden at Bikaner, Rajasthan (India)”. EC Veterinary Science 4.5 (2019): 322-323.
Volume 5 Issue 6 June 2020©All rights reserved by Meera Srivastava.
entirely nectivorous, and nectar alone cannot supplement amino-acids requirements, it may also feed on fruits’ juice and insects. In Indian subcontinent they have been reported to feed on insects and spiders, but very largely on flower nectar [13].
Phytochemical analysis of extract has shown the presence of major classes of phytochemicals such as tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides etc. M. oleifera flowers were found to contain 19.31 mg/g of gallic acid equivalent of total phenolics in dry extract but exhibited moderate antioxidant activity. The anti-inflammatory activity of plant extract was significant and comparable with the standard drug diclofenac sodium [14].
This could therefore be suggestive that as flowers of M. oleifera possess potent anti-inflammatory activity and are also a good source of natural antioxidants, and there is possibility of some natural mechanism in this bird which identifies this property and thus exploits the flower nectar and feeds on it as also suggested earlier by Srivastava [15] for parakeet. Long term studies are further needed for confirma-tion.
https://www.nhbs.com/title?slug=birds-of-south-asia-the-ripley-guide-2-volume-set-bookhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14500327/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/44285465_Pollination_ecology_of_acacias_Fabaceae_Mimosoideaehttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/250157621_Passerine_bird_pollination_and_seed_dispersal_in_Woodfordia_floribunda_Salisb_Lythraceae_a_common_low_altitude_woody_shrub_in_the_Eastern_Ghats_forests_of_Indiahttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/250157621_Passerine_bird_pollination_and_seed_dispersal_in_Woodfordia_floribunda_Salisb_Lythraceae_a_common_low_altitude_woody_shrub_in_the_Eastern_Ghats_forests_of_Indiahttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17089328/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453016300362https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453016300362http://www.ijaprr.com/download/issue/Volume_VI/Issue_V/248_Volume_VI_Issue_V_13%20-%2015_Meera_Srivastava.pdfhttp://www.ijaprr.com/download/issue/Volume_VI/Issue_V/248_Volume_VI_Issue_V_13%20-%2015_Meera_Srivastava.pdfhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/280580791_Notes_on_Feeding_and_Breeding_Habits_of_the_Purple_Sunbird_Nectarinia_asiatica_Cinnyris_asiaticus_in_Bandar_Abbas_Hormozgan_Southern_Iranhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/280580791_Notes_on_Feeding_and_Breeding_Habits_of_the_Purple_Sunbird_Nectarinia_asiatica_Cinnyris_asiaticus_in_Bandar_Abbas_Hormozgan_Southern_Iranhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/254262205_Estimation_of_total_phenolic_content_in-vitro_antioxidant_and_anti-inflammatory_activity_of_flowers_of_Moringa_oleiferahttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/254262205_Estimation_of_total_phenolic_content_in-vitro_antioxidant_and_anti-inflammatory_activity_of_flowers_of_Moringa_oleiferahttps://www.ecronicon.com/ecve/pdf/ECVE-04-00106.pdfhttps://www.ecronicon.com/ecve/pdf/ECVE-04-00106.pdf
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