AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Nest Success and Habitat Selection of the Semipalmated Plover on Akimiski Island, Nunavut

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:2003
Authors:Nguyen, LP, Nol, E, Abraham, KF
Journal:The Wilson Bulletin
Volume:115
Issue:3
Date Published:2003
ISBN Number:00435643
Keywords:Charadriidae, Charadrius, Charadrius hiaticula, Charadrius semipalmatus, Laridae, Paradisaea, Sterna, Sterna macrura, Sterna paradisaea
Abstract:We studied nest site selection by Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) to compare microhabitat characteristics at nest and random sites, and to compare successful and unsuccessful nests on the northern shore of Akimiski Island, Nunavut, during 2002. Nesting birds selected sites with more pebbles and less vegetative cover than randomly available in the environment. Nest sites also had smaller percentage of bare mud than random sites. Plovers selected sites within 100 m of Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) more often than expected based on the distribution of random sites in the study area. Twenty-three of 41 (56%) nests hatched successfully. None of the microhabitat features that we measured predicted nest success. All 10 nests near the colony of Arctic Terns hatched, suggesting that interspecific associations are more reliable than habitat features for predicting nest success.
URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/4164572
Short Title:The Wilson Bulletin
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