Category: Charadriiformes

Pacific and American Golden-Plovers: reflections on conservation needs

American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica) Science Article 3 abstract Much has been learned about the biology of Pacific and American Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis fulva and P. dominica)in recent years. However, most of this information does not address conservation-related questionsaffecting the future of these birds. We lack accurate demographic figures (guesstimates of world populationvary more than 30-fold […]

Time budgets and body temperatures of American Golden-Plover chicks in relation to ambient temperature

American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica) Science Article 1 abstract We studied time budgets of precocial chicks of American Golden-Plovers (Pluvialisdominica) on the tundra near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to assess how time budgetsare influenced by environmental and body temperatures. Foraging time per day increasedwith increasing ambient temperatures and levels of solar radiation, as well as with […]

Breeding range extensions for the Pacific Golden-Plover andBlack-bellied Plover on the Alaska Peninsula

American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica) Science Article 4 abstract To determine whether Pacific Golden-Plovers Pluvialis fulva and Black-bellied Plovers P. squatarola werenesting on the Alaska Peninsula, we conducted field surveys at several sites in 2004. We found both taxa breedingon the peninsula, with fulva in greater abundance. Our findings indicate that fulva nest from at […]

Courtship feeding between Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans and Herring Gull L. argentatus in the Western Mediterranean

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans) Science Article 1 abstract Several species of large white-headed gulls, genus Larus, often hybridize freely where they occur sympatrically (Ingolfsson 1987, Pierotti 1987, Spear 1987, Pierotti & Annett 1993). In the Ebro Delta (Ebro Delta National Park, 40

Predation by a Marsh Harrier Circusaeruginosus on Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis nests

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans) Science Article 3 abstract This note reports a case of predation by an adult female Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus onthree nests of Yellow-legged Gulls Larus michahellis at the Ebro Delta. The predation wasobserved on 4 April 2002 on one of the dykes that separate the saltpan-heaters of La Trinitat(Punta de la […]

Deconstructing myths on large gulls and their impact onthreatened sympatric waterbirds

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans) Science Article 2 abstract Owing to increasing population trends and facultative predatory habits, large gullshave been identified as significant agents of change in the alteration of manyecological communities. Often, they are perceived as negatively impacting thepopulation trends of most sympatric waterbirds. Consequently, culling programshave been implemented to remove adults, chicks and […]

NESTING BIOLOGY OF BLACK SKIMMERS, LARGE-BILLED TERNS, AND YELLOW-BILLED TERNS IN AMAZONIAN BRAZIL

Yellow-billed Tern (Sterna superciliaris) Science Article 1 abstract Nests of Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) (n = 37), Large-billed Terns (Phaetusa simplex) (n = 121), and Yellow-billed Terns (Sterna superciliaris) (n = 16) on an exposed sandbar in the Trombetas River, Brazil, were monitored during incubation and hatching in 1982. The species were interspersed throughout the […]

Different migration strategies used by two inland wader species during autumn migration, case of Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola and Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) Science Article 2 abstract Waders generally follow two alternative strategies.The ‘B-strategy’ or ‘energy minimization’ strategy is to initiate migration late in the season, start moulting at the breeding grounds and migrate slowly in small steps, whereas the ‘S-strategy’ or ‘time minimization’istomigrateimmediatelyaftertheendofthebreedingperiodandmoulton the wintering grounds after a migration with only a few […]

Trap response of Wood Sandpipers Tringa glareola.

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) Science Article 3 abstract We used sightings and recaptures of colour-markedWood Sandpipers to examine the trapresponse of this locally abundant migrant in north-east Austria. Birds were caught in selectedwastewater pools of the local sugar factory using walk-in traps. According toresightings and recaptures, most birds apparently left the initial trapping site soon […]