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- Title
KLEPTOPARASITISM OF SANDWICH TERNS STERNA SANDVICENSIS BY BLACK-HEADED GULLS LARUS RIDIBUNDUS.
- Authors
Fuchs, Eduard
- Abstract
SUMMARY The parasitic behaviour of Black-headed Gulls in a mixed colony of terns and gulls at the Sands of Forvie on the northeast coast of Scotland is described in some detail. Food-stealing occurred with varying frequency throughout the breeding season. Less than 6% of the terns were attacked during incubation and when their chicks were a few days old, but up to 29% were attacked thereafter. At the same time the percentage of successful attacks rose from 1% or less to 6.5%. Food items brought back to the ternery were predominantly sandeels, clupeids and gadoids. Only a small proportion of terns carrying fish shorter than 7 cm were attacked whether they were sandeels, clupeids or gadoids. Robbing success was higher with clupeids and gadoids than with sandeels. The effect of the Black-headed Gulls' kleptoparasitism on the Sandwich Terns' breeding success is thought to have been negligible during incubation and early chick-life, but might have influenced fledging weight and ultimately post-fledging survival.
- Publication
Ibis, 1977, Vol 119, Issue 2, p183
- ISSN
0019-1019
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1474-919X.1977.tb03535.x