Diet and prey size selectivity of Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) in coastal Georgia (original) (raw)
2016, Canadian Journal of Zoology
We examined diet of nonbreeding Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte, 1825) in the Cumberland Island estuary, Georgia, USA, through fecal sample analysis. We also examined prey size selectivity by Semipalmated Plovers for the most common prey item found in the fecal samples, which are polychaetes in the family Nereidae (= Nereididae). We compared the size distribution of polychaetes in Semipalmated Plover fecal samples from salt marshes and mudflats with the size distribution of polychaetes sampled from the two habitats. Semipalmated Plovers foraging on mudflats had less variable diets than those foraging on salt marshes, although the mean number of prey per Semipalmated Plover fecal sample was similar between the two habitats. Size selectivity by Semipalmated Plovers of nereid (= nereidid) polychaetes varied as a function of habitat, with Semipalmated Plovers eating larger polychaetes in salt marshes than in mudflats, although in both habitats Semipalmated Plover...
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