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Birds and Indian Palm Squirrels Shared Seed-Dispersal Roles on a Lucknow Campus

Indian palm squirrel eating fruit among green leaves
Research · Ecology

A 2026 study at Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow documented how birds and squirrels moved seeds from fruiting trees across an urban campus. The authors identified the squirrels as Indian palm squirrels (Funambulus palmarum). Researchers followed fruiting trees and focal animals from November 2025 to January 2026 and recorded 50 dispersal events involving 11 tree species, nine bird species and one mammalian disperser.

Birds and squirrels shared seed-dispersal roles

Indian palm squirrels were among the most active dispersers in the dataset. The authors highlight carrying, swallowing and scatter-hoarding — storing seeds in separate small caches — as important squirrel contributions to dispersal, particularly for local seed placement in potentially suitable germination sites.

Jungle babblers (Argya striata) had the highest frequency in the first phase, while common mynas, rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) and Indian palm squirrels were among the dominant dispersers in the final phase. Across all species, feeding made up 44% of recorded behaviour, followed by seed dropping at 28%, carrying at 22% and swallowing at 6%.

The researchers found the most dispersal activity in campus zones with dense fruiting vegetation and relatively low human disturbance. They conclude that birds and squirrels contributed in different but complementary ways, with birds more often moving seeds over longer distances and squirrels contributing strongly to local deposition in potentially suitable germination sites.

Sources and image credit

  1. Dwivedi, R., Nigam, R., Siddiqui, A. A., & Singh, C. (2026). Seed dispersal by birds and squirrels: A study of fruiting trees and their ecological interactions. International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies, 13(2), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.22271/23940522.2026.v13.i2a.1181Primary research article published 1 March 2026. Field observations from November 2025 to January 2026 at Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow recorded 50 seed-dispersal events involving 11 fruiting tree species, nine bird species and Indian palm squirrel as the only mammalian disperser.

Image: Lahiru Prabudda Fernando — wild Indian palm squirrel eating fruit in Narammala, Sri Lanka, 24 April 2020; Wikimedia Commons; representative feeding image; cropped to 16:9 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Ecology

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Indian Palm Squirrel Funambulus palmarum Explore species Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Explore species Jungle Babbler Argya striata Explore species Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri Explore species

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