Predation of migratory Little Stint (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Calidris minuta</Emphasis>) by Barbary Falcon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Falco pelegrinoides</Emphasis>) is dependent on body mass and duration of stopover time |
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Authors: | Reuven Yosef Bart?omiej Go?dyn Piotr Zduniak |
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Institution: | (1) International Birding and Research Centre in Eilat, P. O. Box 774, 88000 Eilat, Israel;(2) Department of General Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61–614 Poznań, Poland;(3) Department of Avian Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61–614 Poznań, Poland; |
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Abstract: | Shorebird (Charadriiformes) migration phenology is critically synchronised with prey availability at traditional staging sites that allows the birds
to stage and complete the migrations. These stopovers, usually in large concentrations, make the migrants vulnerable to local
predators. The body mass gained or maintained is considered to be the result of the trade-off between the risks of starvation
and predation. Theoretically, heavier birds should be less adept at escaping predators, and experimental evidence showed that
flight performance is impaired in heavier birds. During three migration seasons we searched pellets and prey remains taken
by a pair of Barbary Falcons (Falco pelegrinoides). We discovered that many pellets contained rings from the ringing program in Eilat, Israel, and the overwhelming majority
belonged to Little Stints (Calidris minuta). We checked if the body mass and length of the stopover as expressed by ringing status of the Little Stints in a particular
migration season was related to the risk of predation by Barbary Falcons. We found the chance that a heavier bird would be
predated was lower than that of a lighter individual, and that Stints retrapped during the same migration season were significantly
more endangered by predation than those recorded only once. |
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