scholarly journals Some Population Aspects of Common Tern Sterna hirundo Breeding in Algeria at a Small Mediterranean Island (East Coast of Algeria)

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-69
Author(s):  
Mohamed Dhaya El-Hak Khemis ◽  
Lamia Boutabia ◽  
Kamilia Farhi ◽  
Ali Elafri ◽  
Asma Kahli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Shape Index ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Mediterranean Island ◽  
Mussel Shells

Abstract We present the first detailed study of population dynamics, breeding biology and egg measurement of Common Terns. During six years (from 2004 to 2009) of monitoring, from mid-May to mid-August, 74 Common Terns individual were recorded at Laouinet small island, El Tarf, northeast of Algeria, witha finite population growth rate that indicated an alarming population decline(λ = -0.62: Lambda). Sterna hirundo build its nests (n = 37) in the northeast at a mean distance of 7.58 m from the closest edge of rocks. The nests were closed and ovoid, constituted mainly of mussel shells Sandpit, stems and leaves. Incubation was performed by pairs of common tern and lasted 25.5 ±3.4 days. We recorded a clutch size of 1 to 3 eggs with mean clutch size of 2.45±0.65 (41.24±0.83 × 30.46±0.62 mm). The egg parameters (volume, mass, shape index) varied between the six years of the study. The egg volume (19.24±0.87) depended more on egg width (30.46±0.62), however the egg shape (0.73±0.20) depended negatively on the egg length (41.24±0.83) but not on the egg width. Our results also showed a stabilized hatching success and a best estimation of breeding success. The hatching success did not vary between years: 70.5% in 2004, 68.75% in 2005, 71.42% in 2006, 71.42% in 2007, 69.23% in 2008 and 69.23% in 2009.

scholarly journals First data on breeding success of Croatian inland colonies of Common Tern Sterna hirundo

Acrocephalus ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (180-181) ◽  
pp. 97-103
Author(s):  
Miloš Martinović ◽  
Jelena Kralj ◽  
Tomica Rubinić ◽  
Luka Jurinović ◽  
Ana Petrović ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Breeding Success ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Baseline Data ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Chick Survival ◽  
Fledging Success ◽  
Artificial Lakes ◽  
Avian Pox

AbstractIn 2018 and 2019, the breeding success of two Common Tern colonies on artificial lakes near the River Sava in Zagreb, Croatia, was studied. The colonies were visited weekly from May to July and we collected data on phenology, number of breeding pairs, clutch size as well as egg and chick survival. We also conducted a comparison between early and late breeders. Hatching and fledging success was within previously observed ranges, apart from a low hatching success on Siromaja in 2019. The smaller colony on Siromaja had a higher productivity in both years than the colony on Rakitje, although in 2018 an avian pox virus killed much of the late chicks on Rakitje. Early breeders seem to have had higher hatching success and average clutch size. Furthermore, a greater proportion of them managed to hatch all their eggs compared to late breeders, but the differences were not statistically significant. Our study provided baseline data for future monitoring of phenology and breeding success with regard to the management of breeding colonies.

scholarly journals Floating rafts as breeding habitats for the Common tern, Sterna hirundo. Colonization patterns, abundance and reproductive success in Venice Lagoon

2018 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Coccon ◽  
Stefano Borella ◽  
Nicola Simeoni ◽  
Stefano Malavasi
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Colonization Patterns ◽  
Floating Rafts

The Venice lagoon hosts the 15% of the entire Italian breeding population of Common terns, Sterna hirundo, highlighting the great value of the area for this species. However, in the last 25 years, a substantial decline of Common terns has been detected in the Lagoon, which culminated in 2008. The main causes of this negative trend were the loss of salt marsh habitats, where terns typically breed in the Venice lagoon. This was due to the increase in the mean sea level and the greater frequency of high tides during the reproductive period with consequent flooding of their breeding sites; competition with yellowlegged gulls (Larus michahellis), predation and human disturbance. As a preliminary experimental approach to counter the depletion of the species and favour its recovery, we performed a habitat loss compensation project by setting up four floating rafts (3x2m), covered by two different types of substrate (sandy and vegetal substrate). This was to function as an artificial nesting site safe from flooding, positioned in a protected internal wetland area of the Venice lagoon, Valle Averto (Sourthern Lagoon). We studied the colonization patterns of the rafts and the reproductive success of Common tern breeding pairs during the 2014 and 2015 breeding seasons. We also investigated those environmental and structural variables that could favour the use of the rafts and the nesting success of the species. In both years, the rafts were successfully colonized and used by terns for nesting. Our results also indicated higher temperature, lower rainfall and greater distance from the shore as the main habitat factors favouring the occurrence and the reproductive success of the breeding pairs, while a windrow of dead plants was indicated as the preferred substrate for covering rafts in order to make them more attractive. The results provided some suggestions for successful restoration plans to be developed in similar lagoon areas.

Factors affecting the reproductive success of common tern (Sterna hirundo) colonies on the lower Great Lakes during the summer of 1972

1976 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 1850-1862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph D. Morris ◽  
Rodger A. Hunter ◽  
James F. McElman
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Fledging Success ◽  
Egg Failure

The breeding biology of five common tern (Sterna hirundo) colonies in the lower Great Lakes was studied between May and August 1972. Frequent visits were made to each colony and data collected on nests within large artificially enclosed areas. The objective was to identify factors that influence the reproductive success of common tern colonies on the Great Lakes. Hatching success was significantly dependent on clutch size and time of clutch initiation, whereas fledging success was independent of clutch size. The most common category of egg failure was disappearance from the nest. One colony (Port Colborne) realized a significantly higher hatching and fledging success than the others, among which there were no significant differences in prehatch or posthatch success rates. Factors that contributed to differences in reproductive success are presented and their relative contributions to the reproductive success of the tern colonies are discussed. The factors include the relative proportion of three-egg clutches, incubation time as a measure of 'parent attentiveness,' numerical size of the colony, predation, competition for nesting sites by gulls, food availability, flooding, and toxic chemicals. We conclude that no single factor can be readily correlated with reproductive success and suggest that caution should be exercised when considering the relationships between reproductive success and factors influencing it.

Consequences of variation in brood size on the allocation of parental care in common terns (Sterna hirundo)

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 2411-2413 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Wiggins
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Foraging Effort ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Care Patterns

Data on the behaviour of common tern (Sterna hirundo) parents were analyzed to document shifts in parental care patterns with changes in brood size. The primary roles of the sexes, chick feeding by males, and brood attendance by females, did not change with shifts in brood size. Rather, parents simply altered the amount of care provided. One-chick broods received more parental attendance at the nest site than both two- and three-chick broods, likely as a result of the increased foraging effort of two- and three-chick parents. The number of chick feeds per hour increased significantly with each increase in brood size, but the number of feeds of each chick per hour did not. Thus, although parents increased their foraging effort with increasing brood size, the net effect was that chicks in all brood sizes were fed at similar rates.

Relationship between nest sites of common terns and vegetation on the Eastern Headland, Toronto Outer Harbour

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 2057-2061 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Blokpoel ◽  
P. M. Catling ◽  
G. T. Haymes
Keyword(s):  
Great Majority ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Study Plot ◽  
Common Terns

The distribution of common tern (Sterna hirundo) nests relative to vegetation and objects (rocks and sticks) was studied on the Eastern Headland of the Toronto Outer Harbour in 1977. The vegetative cover in one study plot ranged from 0–10% to 91–100%, with a mean of 16%. In that plot the vegetative cover near nests ranged from 0–10% to 81–90%, with a mean of 44%. In the second study plot where plants were widely scattered, the great majority of the nests were situated next to plants or objects. Possible advantages and disadvantages of this behaviour are briefly discussed.

Shell thickness, DDE levels in eggs, and reproductive success in common terns (Sterna hirundo), in Alberta

1971 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Switzer ◽  
Victor Lewin ◽  
Fred H. Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Shell Thickness ◽  
Avian Species ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Eggshell Thickness ◽  
Large Measure ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
The Common ◽  
Comprehensive Study

A comprehensive study of reproductive success of an isolated colony of common terns (Sterna hirundo) reveals that DDE, the principal chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide found in the terns, cannot be correlated to eggshell thickness. The low reproductive success observed was attributed in large measure to disappearance of eggs and nest abandonment, responsible for 76% of the failures, while cracked or broken eggs accounted for only 16%. It is suggested that the direct correlation of DDE to eggshell thickness, implicated in the reproductive failure of other avian species, may be an oversimplification in the case of the common tern.

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