As the SGR of
T. pectoralis remains low, it can be concluded that
T. pectoralis does not feed on the abundant rice
biomass. Its other main food items, zoo- and
phytoplankton, are also lacking in rice fields, as the
rice canopy shades the water surface (Rothuis et al.
1998). The only food thought to be abundant in the
field are rice leaves and detritus (mainly from
decayed rice leaves). In intensively cultured rice
fields in Malaysia, insects and detritus formed
important components of T. pectoralis' diet (Ali
1994). Detritus was as important as aquatic vegetation
in terms of frequency of occurrence, and was
dominant in terms of volume (Ali 1994).