Factors Influencing Snowy Plover (<i>Charadrius nivosus</i>) Nest Survival at Great Salt Lake, Utah

Ellis, Kristen S.; Cavitt, John F.; Larsen, Randy T.

doi:10.1675/063.038.0108

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…Crested Caracaras and other birds may also be significant predators. Importantly, avian and reptilian predators have been reported elsewhere for Snowy Plovers 56 57 58 and Least Terns 55 . However, identifying only the local predators at Bahía de Ceuta may not be enough.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Discovering the main predators of Snowy Plover and Least Tern nests is also an important priority for conservationists 14 58 . The “near threatened” Snowy Plovers can lose a very large proportion of nests to predation each year 58 . This is particularly important for the breeding population at Bahía de Ceuta, which has declined severely since 2006.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Camouflage and Clutch Survival in Plovers and Terns

Stoddard

Kupán

Eyster

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Animals achieve camouflage through a variety of mechanisms, of which background matching and disruptive coloration are likely the most common. Although many studies have investigated camouflage mechanisms using artificial stimuli and in lab experiments, less work has addressed camouflage in the wild. Here we examine egg camouflage in clutches laid by ground-nesting Snowy Plovers Charadrius nivosus and Least Terns Sternula antillarum breeding in mixed aggregations at Bahía de Ceuta, Sinaloa, Mexico. We obtained digital images of clutches laid by both species. We then calibrated the images and used custom computer software and edge detection algorithms to quantify measures related to three potential camouflage mechanisms: pattern complexity matching, disruptive effects and background color matching. Based on our image analyses, Snowy Plover clutches, in general, appeared to be more camouflaged than Least Tern clutches. Snowy Plover clutches also survived better than Least Tern clutches. Unexpectedly, variation in clutch survival was not explained by any measure of egg camouflage in either species. We conclude that measures of egg camouflage are poor predictors of clutch survival in this population. The behavior of the incubating parents may also affect clutch predation. Determining the significance of egg camouflage requires further testing using visual models and behavioral experiments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Camouflage and Clutch Survival in Plovers and Terns

Stoddard

Kupán

Eyster

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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“…Mammalian meso‐predators may also alter their space use around human developments with species‐ and individual‐level variation in the direction of responses (Atwood et al 2004, Fischer et al 2012, Newsome et al 2015). One relevant example includes meso‐predator use of roads or levees as movement corridors into wetland environments (Frey and Conover 2006), and nest proximity to gravel roads has been shown to be negatively related to snowy plover nest success (Ellis et al 2015). Our results alternatively suggested that nest predation by foxes decreased with proportions of human development, and nest predation by coyotes was not influenced by human development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We monitored extant nests and surveyed for new nests at least once per week at each site during the breeding season (early April–mid‐August; Paton 1995, Ellis et al 2015). To estimate the incubation stage of newly located nests, we floated eggs in water and assumed an egg‐laying period of 3 d and a 27‐d incubation period (Paton 1995, Page et al 2009).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dependence of spatial scale in landscape associations with cause‐specific predation of snowy plover nests

2020

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Understanding relationships between habitat and ecological processes often depends on the spatial scale at which the landscape is measured. A common objective in studies of avian nesting ecology is to link habitat characteristics with nest predation for generating potential conservation and management strategies aimed at increasing avian reproductive success. Yet scale dependence likely plays a considerable role in these assessments, particularly when multiple species of nest predators are present. We identified nest predators of snowy plovers, a ground-nesting shorebird, and modeled predator-specific hazard rates of nest mortality in relation to the landscape at multiple spatial scales (200 m, 500 m, 1 km, 2.5 km, and 5 km) and at the nest site. We used a Bayesian latent indicator approach for weighting the influence of habitat across spatial scales and to gain insight into the hierarchical nature of how specific predators responded to the landscape when preying upon plover nests. We did not identify a common spatial scale that best predicted nest predation by all predators, though our results indicated that unfragmented playa and marsh habitats at large spatial scales reduced nest predation by all nest predators. Land cover features including grass, shrubs, human development, and open water elicited variable responses depending on the predator group, and predator groups responded at different spatial scales. Further, the spatial configuration of nests (nest dispersion) influenced nest predation by common ravens Corvus corax and foxes (kit fox Vulpes macrotis and red fox Vulpes vulpes), suggesting that certain predators develop a search image for nests. Our results illustrate that clarifying complex relationships between nest predation and habitat characteristics requires the incorporation of predator identity and scale dependence. Thus, management and conservation plans aiming to increase avian productivity by altering or restoring habitats will likely benefit from consideration of predator-specific patterns at multiple spatial scales.

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“…Estimates of daily nest survival were derived from a single model that included presence of cameras in addition to effects of site, year and nest age, which have been shown to contribute to variation in daily nest survival (Ellis et al . ). To evaluate parameter significance, we assessed the degree of overlap in 95% confidence intervals around zero for beta estimates.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Using remote cameras to validate estimates of nest fate in shorebirds

Ellis

Cavitt

Larsen

et al. 2018

Ibis

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Nest survival is a key demographic parameter, yet little effort has been made to improve the accuracy of fieldbased methods for assigning nest fates to shorebird nests. We used remote cameras to validate estimates of nest fate from field methods and to assess variation in accuracy of nest-fate assignment for Snowy Plover Charadrius nivosus in Utah, USA. We correctly identified the fates of 84% of nests in the field, and photos from camera monitoring revealed incorrect assignments for 22% of successful nests and 7% of depredated nests. Traditional field methods could be improved by checking nests more frequently when hatching date nears and spending additional time searching for eggshell evidence, especially when nests are in areas susceptible to weather disturbance.

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Factors Influencing Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) Nest Survival at Great Salt Lake, Utah

Cited by 12 publications

References 36 publications

Camouflage and Clutch Survival in Plovers and Terns

Camouflage and Clutch Survival in Plovers and Terns

Dependence of spatial scale in landscape associations with cause‐specific predation of snowy plover nests

Using remote cameras to validate estimates of nest fate in shorebirds

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