Factors affecting nest-site selection of Sabine's Gulls in the eastern Canadian Arctic

The selection of breeding habitat is of prime importance for individual fitness. Among birds, natural selection should favour the ability to recognize and select habitat suitable for nesting and rearing chicks. This study compares the characteristics of Sabine's Gull, Xema sabini (Sabine, 1819), nest sites with random points across a coastal tundra environment on Southampton Island, Nunavut, Canada. The availability of terrestrial invertebrate prey was also examined among habitats. Sabine's Gull nests were nonrandomly distributed in relation to vegetation, substrate, and proximity to water. Gulls nested within approximately 1 km of the coastline and selected sites with the greatest proportions of moss and standing water (i.e., they nested close to the edge of small freshwater ponds near shore). However, there were no detectable differences in characteristics between successful and unsuccessful nests within preferred habitat. The dynamics of terrestrial invertebrate prey communities varied between years, but the volume of invertebrates in Sabine's Gull nesting habitat was intermediate between the most productive habitats and the least productive habitats in both years. However, nest-site selection in Sabine's Gulls may also be influenced by the availability of aquatic invertebrates (not examined in this study) and their proximity to the marine coastline, where chicks are taken to be reared.

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Breeding habitat and nest‐site selection of Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus in the Annapurna Himalaya Range of Nepal

Ibis ◽

10.1111/ibi.12698 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 162 (1) ◽

pp. 153-161 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tulsi Ram Subedi ◽

José D. Anadón ◽

Hem Sagar Baral ◽

Munir Z. Virani ◽

Shahrul Anuar Mohd Sah

Keyword(s):

Site Selection ◽

Nest Site ◽

Nest Site Selection ◽

Breeding Habitat ◽

Gypaetus Barbatus ◽

Bearded Vulture ◽

Selection Of

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Nests built on power lines: Nest-site selection by long-tailed broadbills (Psarisomus dalhousiae) in Nonggang of Guangxi, China

Avian Biology Research ◽

10.1177/1758155920943005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 63-69

Author(s):

Bo Zhou ◽

Changzhang Feng ◽

Wei Liang

Keyword(s):

Site Selection ◽

Nest Site ◽

Nest Site Selection ◽

Breeding Habitat ◽

Power Lines ◽

Nest Sites ◽

Site Characteristics ◽

Survival And Development ◽

Selection Of

The quality of breeding habitat may directly affect the survival and development of progeny. Therefore, the selection of a suitable nest-site is an important factor affecting the reproductive success of birds. The most important reason for a bird’s reproductive failure is nest predation. Predation may cause birds to change their nest-sites and even nest morphology. Here we investigated the nest-site characteristics by long-tailed broadbills ( Psarisomus dalhousiae) in Nonggang, Guangxi, southwestern China. Our results showed that long-tailed broadbills in Nonggang mainly build their nests on power lines (88.5%) and nest-site selection was mainly affected by predation pressure and food resources. At the same time, nest-site concealment was trade-off against predator avoidance. This anti-predator strategy effectively utilizes human infrastructure.

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Natural and anthropogenic factors affecting the nest-site selection of Loggerhead Turtles,Caretta caretta, on Dalaman-Sarıgerme beach in South-west Turkey

Zoology in the Middle East ◽

10.1080/09397140.2010.10638411 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 47-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Yakup Kaska ◽

Eyüp Başkale ◽

Raşit Urhan ◽

Yusuf Katılmış ◽

Müge Gidiş ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Site Selection ◽

Nest Site ◽

Caretta Caretta ◽

Nest Site Selection ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

South West ◽

Loggerhead Turtles ◽

Natural And Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Selection Of

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Nest site selection and its implications for conservation of the endangered Oriental Stork Ciconia boyciana in Yellow River Delta, China

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270919000303 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 323-334 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

LEI CHENG ◽

LIZHI ZHOU ◽

LIXIN WU ◽

GUANGHAI FENG

Keyword(s):

Site Selection ◽

Human Disturbance ◽

Nest Site ◽

Yellow River ◽

Yellow River Delta ◽

Nest Site Selection ◽

River Delta ◽

Breeding Habitat ◽

Artificial Nests ◽

Selection Of

SummaryAvian nest site selection is crucial to breeding birds especially for large endangered waterbirds. We investigated the population dynamics, nests and breeding habitat selection, offspring numbers and reproductive success rate of Oriental Stork Ciconia boyciana from February to June 2017 in Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve (YRD NNR), Shandong, China. We measured the characteristic variables of 32 control plots by random selection and 62 nest plots, including 40 nests on power poles, 14 nests on artificial poles and eight nests on pylon poles. We used conditional logistic regression and model-averaging to quantify data and model characteristic variables affecting nest site selection. Our results showed that human disturbance was the main negative factor affecting Oriental Stork’s selection of power pole nests. Meanwhile, distance from highways was the most important variable for the selection of artificial nests. Distance from sightseeing sites was the main explanatory variable that contributed to the selection of pylon nests. Based on our findings, we recommend promoting conservation of this species by reducing human disturbance, such as forbidding use of car horns in nest site areas and providing enough suitable nest sites.

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