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- Title
Extensive Use of Intertidal Habitat by Shorebirds Outside Protected Nesting Areas.
- Authors
Monk, Julia D.; Kwon, Eunbi; Derose‐Wilson, Audrey; Robinson, Samantha G.; Bellman, Henrietta A.; Karpanty, Sarah M.; Catlin, Daniel H.; Fraser, James D.
- Abstract
Conservation of shorebirds throughout their breeding and migratory ranges has become a priority as shorebird populations decline globally. Along the North Atlantic Coast, management efforts have particularly focused on preserving nesting habitat for piping plovers (Charadrius melodus), which are protected under the Endangered Species Act. It is unclear whether these conservation measures suffice to protect foraging habitat for piping plovers and other shorebirds on stopover during migration along the Atlantic Flyway. To evaluate the extent to which conservation of piping plover nesting areas extends to all habitats used by plovers, and to determine whether these protections also benefited non‐breeding migratory shorebirds in the region, we conducted weekly shorebird surveys, recording the number and locations of piping plovers and other species, during northward and southward migration on Fire Island and Westhampton Island, New York, USA, from 2014–2016. We used canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to assess the degree of spatiotemporal overlap between breeding plovers, foraging plovers, and other migratory shorebirds that temporarily stage at the site. The spatiotemporal distribution of migratory shorebirds matched more closely with piping plovers seen during foraging than piping plovers observed tending nests and engaging in other breeding activities. Migratory shorebirds and foraging piping plovers were more abundant and frequent in wet intertidal zones outside of fenced‐off nesting areas, which were not protected under current management regimes. Therefore, additional protection of piping plover foraging habitat could benefit plovers and migratory shorebirds that use similar feeding grounds during stopover on northward and southward migration. © 2020 The Wildlife Society. Foraging piping plovers and other migratory shorebirds clustered in moist intertidal areas outside of protected nesting areas in the coastal backshore, and we observed most migratory shorebirds in spring and fall, when plover habitat protections were not in place. Managers should protect vital intertidal foraging habitat to promote conservation of piping plovers once chicks have left the nest, and for the benefit of the many migratory shorebird species who feed in these areas during stopover.
- Subjects
SHORE birds; PIPING plover; PROTECTED areas; MIGRATORY animals; INTERTIDAL zonation; HABITAT conservation; HABITATS; BIRD nests
- Publication
Journal of Wildlife Management, 2020, Vol 84, Issue 7, p1338
- ISSN
0022-541X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/jwmg.21908