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- Title
Some aspects of Hooded Plover behaviour and ecology based on a colour-banding study on Kangaroo Island.
- Authors
DENNIS, T. E.; BALL, D. M.
- Abstract
Between May 1986 and May 1991 on Kangaroo Island, 284 Hooded Plovers were captured at night and fitted with coloured PVC bands for individual recognition. Of these, 221 were subsequently recorded a total of 2133 times, with the last re-sight record in 2006. Considerable mobility was recorded among the population, including a small number of movements to the mainland, with the furthest distance travelled from place of banding being ∼145 km. Flocks of >20 birds were common in autumn and early winter, often occurring at near-coastal saline lakes where the mollusc Coxiella striata was abundant, or on beach habitats with heavy seagrass accumulations. Flock size and composition were dynamic and included paired birds temporarily absent from breeding beaches. The high proportion of unbanded adults among autumn-winter flocks suggests either a previously overlooked sub-population of non-territorial adults on Kangaroo Island; or a seasonal immigration of birds from elsewhere. When last recorded, eight colour-banded birds were aged 10 years or more, with the oldest aged 15.5 years. Eleven known age young were in adult plumage when aged <1 year (mean 329.1 ± 16.7 days; range 303- 352) some of which were paired and fecund (mean age of 346.3 ± 15.4 days; range 336-364). A total of 27 pairs remained together at the same location for consecutive breeding seasons; 16 of these were with the same partner on the same territory over multiple seasons (range 3-6). In addition to known beach breeding habitats, the Hooded Plover flock foraging locations identified in this study appear to be important to sustain the population through the non-breeding season, and therefore need to be considered in habitat management strategies.
- Subjects
KANGAROO Island (S. Aust.); BIRD behavior; BIRD ecology; PLOVERS; BIRD migration; BIRD populations; BIRD size; ANIMAL behavior
- Publication
South Australian Ornithologist, 2013, Vol 39, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
0038-2973
- Publication type
Article