Nest-Site Selection and Hatching Success at a Mixed-Species Colony of Black-Winged Stilts Himantopus Himantopus and Gull-Billed Tern Gelochelidon Nilotica

Abstract

Nest-site characteristics and hatching success were studied at a mixed-species colony of Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus and Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica in AghGol wetland, Hamedan Province, Iran during the 2008 breeding season. Species-specific preferences and a possible correlation between hatching success and nest location were analysed. Black-winged stilts select significantly closer points to the water edge than random points while the distance to the water edge did not vary between preferred and non-preferred locations for Gull-billed Terns. Plant density was significantly higher in Gull-billed Terns than Black-winged Stilt nest-sites, which also preferred areas of lower plant density. Hatched Gull-billed Tern nests had significantly higher plant density around the nest than failed nests. Overall, hatching success of Gull-billed Tern was higher than that of Black-winged Stilt; mainly because of disturbances resulting from a decrease in the water level.

Keywords

Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica nest-site selection hatching success

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ashoori

(2011) Breeding Ecology of the Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus in Boujagh National Park, Gilan Province, Northern Iran. Podoces, 6, 87–91.

Ashoori

, Barati

, and Reihanian

H.R.

(2007) Recent observations of the Red Phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius, at Boujagh National Park, Gilan Province, and AghGol Wetland, Hamedan Province and its status in Iran. Podoces, 2, 148–151.

Barati

, and Nouri

S.V.

(2009) Breeding ecology of the Pied Avocet Recurvirostraavosettain AghGol wetland, Hamedan Province, Iran. Avosetta, 33, 43–47.

Barati

, Etezadifar

, and Nouri

S.V.

(2012) Contrasting reproductive ecology of Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus at two colonies in W Iran. Wader Study Group Bull., in press.

Burger

(1985) Habitat selection in temperate marsh nesting birds. In: Cody

(ed.) Nest-site selection in birds, pp. 253–281. Academic Press, New York.

Burger

, and Gochfeld

(1990a) Nest-site selection in least terns (Sterna antillarum) in New Jersey and New York. Colon. Waterbirds, 13, 31–40.

Burger

, and Gochfeld

(1990) The Black Skimmer: social dynamics of a colonial species. Columbia University Press, New York.

Crick

H.O.P.

, Gibbons

D.W.

, and Magrath

R.D.

(1993) Seasonal changes in clutch size in British birds. J. Anim. Ecol., 62, 263–273.

Cuervo

J.J.

(2004) Nest-site selection and characteristics in a mixed species colony of Pied Avocets Recurviro straavosetta and Black-winged Stilts Himanto pushimantopus. Bird Study, 51, 20–24.

10.

Lauro

, and Burger

(1989) Nest-site selection of American oystercatchers (Haemato puspalliatus) in salt marshes. Auk, 106, 185–192.

11.

Mansoori

(2008) A guide to the birds of Iran, pp. 513. Farzaneh Publishing, Tehran.

12.

Porter

R.F.

, Christensen

, and Schiermacker-Hansen

(1996) A field guide to the birds of the Middle East, 460 pp. T & AD Poyser, London.

13.

Regehr

H.M.

, Rodway

M.S.

, and Montevecchi

W.A.

(1998) Antipredator benefits of nest-site selection in black-legged kittiwakes. Can. J. Zool., 76, 910–915.

14.

Scott

D.A.

(2007) A review of the status of the breeding water birds in Iran in the 1970s. Podoces, 2, 1–21.

15.

Siegel

, and Castellan

N.J.

(1988) Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences, 2nd edn. McGraw-Hill, New York.

16.

Spear

L.B.

, and Anderson

D.W.

(1989) Nest-site selection by yellow footed gulls. Condor, 91, 91–99.