Variation in diet of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) during stopover in the upper Bay of Fundy, Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (9) ◽  
pp. 1181-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.T. Quinn ◽  
D.J. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Diet Composition ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Corophium Volutator ◽  
Stopover Site ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpiper ◽  
Calidris Pusilla ◽  
Isotope Analyses ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpipers

Semipalmated Sandpipers ( Calidris pusilla (L., 1766)) use the upper Bay of Fundy, Canada, as a critical stopover site during their annual fall migration to wintering grounds in South America. While in the area, they feed extensively on mudflat invertebrates. Historically the amphipod Corophium volutator (Pallas, 1766) has been thought to make up the majority of their diet. However, we have recently observed flexibility in foraging behaviour and prey selection by sandpipers. The extent of this flexibility and the current diet composition is unknown. To address these knowledge gaps, we assessed Semipalmated Sandpiper diets using stable isotope analyses of blood plasma and available prey items. Data were collected in two arms of the Bay of Fundy during summer 2009 and 2010. Diets fluctuated between years and sites, but in all cases the diet was much more diverse than previously thought. Polychaetes and biofilm made substantial contributions, and C. volutator was still present in the diet, but at much reduced levels than previously noted. This previously unrecognized inclusion of biofilm in the diet is consistent with recent observations of other calidrid shorebirds. Based on measures of prey availability, there is little evidence of preference for C. volutator.

scholarly journals Migrant semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) have over four decades steadily shifted towards safer stopover locations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
David D. Hope ◽  
David B. Lank ◽  
Paul A. Smith ◽  
Julie Paquet ◽  
Ronald C. Ydenberg
Keyword(s):  
Intertidal Area ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Stopover Site ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpiper ◽  
Peregrine Falcons ◽  
Distribution Index ◽  
Migrant Birds ◽  
Calidris Pusilla ◽  
Index Value ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpipers

ABSTRACTPeregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) have undergone a steady hemisphere-wide recovery since the ban on DDT in 1973, resulting in an ongoing increase in the level of danger posed for migrant birds, such as Arctic-breeding sandpipers. We anticipate that in response migrant semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) have adjusted migratory behaviour, including a shift in stopover site usage towards locations offering greater safety from falcon predation.We assessed semipalmated sandpiper stopover usage within the Atlantic Canada Shorebird Survey dataset. Based on 3,030 surveys (totalling ∼32M birds) made during southward migration, 1974 - 2017, at 198 stopover locations, we assessed the spatial distribution of site usage in each year (with a ‘priority matching distribution’ index, PMD) in relation to the size (intertidal area) and safety (proportion of a site’s intertidal area further than 150m of the shoreline) of each location. The PMD index value is > 1 when usage is concentrated at dangerous locations, 1.0 when usage matches location size, and < 1 when usage is concentrated at safer locations.A large majority of migrants were found at the safest sites in all years, however our analysis of the PMD demonstrated that the fraction using safer sites increased over time. In 1974, 80% of birds were found at the safest 20% of the sites, while in 2017, this had increased to 97%. A sensitivity analysis shows that the shift was made specifically towards safer (and not just larger) sites. The shift as measured by a PMD index decline cannot be accounted for by possible biases inherent in the data set. We conclude that the data support the prediction that increasing predator danger has induced a shift by southbound migrant semipalmated sandpipers to safer sites.

scholarly journals Fatty acid composition and concentration of alternative food of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) in the upper Bay of Fundy, Canada

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (8) ◽  
pp. 565-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.T. Quinn ◽  
D.J. Hamilton ◽  
C.E. Hebert
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Corophium Volutator ◽  
Fa Composition ◽  
Quality Of Food ◽  
Calidris Pusilla ◽  
Migrating Birds ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpipers

Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla (L., 1766)) that migrate through the upper Bay of Fundy, Canada, depend on a rich food supply to fuel their continued migration. Although past studies have reported a diet dominated by the amphipod Corophium volutator (Pallas, 1766), an animal rich in n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), recent evidence suggests that sandpiper diets are broad. This is beneficial in that it allows Semipalmated Sandpipers to respond to a changing food base, but quality of food is also important. PUFAs are important in providing the energy required by migrating birds and may play a role in migratory preparation. We assessed fatty acid (FA) concentrations and proportions in three common food items. We found that polychaetes should adequately meet the needs of migrating sandpipers in terms of FA composition. Concentrations of FAs in biofilm were low, but proportionally, n–3 PUFAs were well represented, particularly in biofilm collected in Shepody Bay, where it forms a substantial part of the sandpiper diet. Therefore, provided that birds can consume a sufficient volume of biofilm, it is also probably a suitable source of essential FAs. Our results suggest that Semipalmated Sandpipers in the Bay of Fundy can meet their FA needs with a variety of dietary options.

Crawling behaviour of the amphipod Corophium volutator and foraging by Semipalmated Sandpipers, Calidris pusilla

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 457-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Sherman Boates ◽  
Peter C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Intertidal Mudflat ◽  
Sharp Reduction ◽  
Corophium Volutator ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Calidris Pusilla ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpipers

During late spring and summer, the crawling behaviour of the amphipod Corophium volutator was studied on an intertidal mudflat in the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia. On average, less than 1% of the population crawled on any tide and these individuals tended to be large adults that were predominantly males. Animals emerged as the tide receded but most had crawled into burrows after 25 min. The crawling behaviour did not seem to be related to the lunar cycle as was expected; however, there was a sharp reduction in crawling activity (from 36.3 to 1.2 amphipods/m2) in July that coincided with the arrival of Semipalmated Sandpipers, Calidris pusilla, an abundant seasonal predator. The proportion of males in the amphipod population declined during the period when sandpipers were present. It appears that both a change in amphipod behaviour and depletion of the animals most prone to crawling may contribute to the observed reduction in crawling activity. Qualitative and quantitative evidence show that sandpipers were attracted to the tide edge where crawling amphipods were relatively abundant and that they increased their food intake by doing so.

Effect of forager density on feeding rates in spring-staging Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) using different foraging modes

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (9) ◽  
pp. 996-1001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Novcic ◽  
Guy Beauchamp
Keyword(s):  
Delaware Bay ◽  
Nearest Neighbour ◽  
Feeding Rates ◽  
Stopover Site ◽  
Neighbour Distance ◽  
Short Intervals ◽  
Foraging Modes ◽  
Calidris Pusilla ◽  
Spring Stopover ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpipers

We examined the influence of the density of foragers on feeding rates of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla (Linnaeus, 1766)) while using different foraging modes at a spring stopover site in Delaware Bay, USA. Using dynamic estimates of interindividual distances obtained at short intervals of time, we explored how forager density affected feeding rates when Semipalmated Sandpipers used visual pecking or tactile probing. Pecking rate significantly increased with interindividual distances, whereas probe rate was not affected by density. Our study also showed that in fast-moving foragers, such as Semipalmated Sandpipers, in which the number of nearby foragers and distance to the nearest neighbour continuously change throughout the foraging bout, pecking rates are more affected by nearest neighbour distance than by the number of foragers in their immediate vicinity. In addition, our study implies that foragers using different foraging modes might be differently affected by nearby competitors perhaps in response to prey disturbance by neighbours.

scholarly journals Body mass and acquisition of breeding plumage of wintering Calidris pusilla (Linnaeus) (Aves, Scolopacidae) in the coast of Pernambuco, north-eastern Brazil

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmem E. Fedrizzi ◽  
Severino M. de Azevedo Júnior ◽  
Maria E. Lacerda de Larrazábal
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpiper ◽  
Eastern Brazil ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Calidris Pusilla ◽  
Breeding Plumage ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpipers

Annually, large flocks of semipalmated sandpiper Calidris pusilla (Linnaeus, 1766) winter along South America coast, between September-April. They store fats in order to moult and return to their breeding grounds. Here, was examined body masses and plumage of adults Semipalmated Sandpipers during the departure month to evaluate the relationship between body mass and plumage. Fieldwork was conducted at Coroa do Avião (7º40'S, 34º50'W), Pernambuco. Birds were trapped in mist-nets between April 1990 and 1997. They were weighed, and aged according to plumage. Adult plumage may be (1) non-breeding, (2) pre-breeding, and (3) breeding. A total of 213 birds were weighed and examined, so that 8.0% (17) presented non-breeding plumage, 54.0% (115) pre-breeding, and 38.0% (81) breeding plumage. As in Semipalmated Sandpiper, 25g is the minimum body mass required to migrate, birds with breeding plumage and most with pre-breeding, were potentially apt to migrate. Non-breeding plumage birds presented smaller body mass. Apparently physiological problems and infestation may be important factors to explain over-summering, i.e., individuals remaining in the wintering grounds during the boreal summer.

Diet composition and prey selection in the lizard Lacerta monticola

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1728-1735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Pérez-Mellado ◽  
Dirk Bauwens ◽  
Martin Gil ◽  
Fátima Guerrero ◽  
Miguel Lizana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Diet Composition ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Selection Models ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Activity Season ◽  
Individual Prey

We studied diet composition and prey selection in the lizard Lacerta monticola throughout its activity season. The most important prey groups in terms of numbers were Coleoptera, Diptera, Formicidae, and Araneae. Comparison of diet composition in the adult lizards with estimates of prey availability indicated that lizards exhibited precisely defined patterns of prey selection. Electivities were negative for prey < 3 mm in length and generally positive for larger prey, despite the higher relative abundance of the former group in the environment. Electivity scores for individual prey taxa were positively correlated with their length, and lizards preferentially consumed larger individuals belonging to the taxa containing smaller animals. Relative availability of the four major prey taxa fluctuated considerably throughout the year. In spite of these changes, monthly rates of consumption of Araneae and Diptera remained almost constant. Variations in monthly electivity scores were negatively correlated with relative availability of three (Coleoptera, Diptera, and Araneae) of the four major prey taxa. These results fit the predictions of prey-selection models based on nutrient constraints.

scholarly journals Nest relief in the cryptically-incubating semipalmated sandpiper is quick but vocal

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Bulla ◽  
Christina Muck ◽  
Daniela Tritscher ◽  
Bart Kempenaers
Keyword(s):  
Incubation Period ◽  
Monitoring System ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
Continuous Monitoring ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpiper ◽  
Risk Of Predation ◽  
Calidris Pusilla ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpipers

Biparental care requires coordination between parents. Such coordination might prove difficult if opportunities to communicate are scarce, which might have led to the evolution of elaborate and noisy nest relief rituals in species facing a low risk of predation. However, whether such conspicuous rituals also evolved in species that avoid predation by relying on crypsis remains unclear. Here, we used a continuous monitoring system to describe nest relief behavior during incubation in an Arctic-breeding shorebird with passive nest defense, the semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla). We then explored whether nest relief behavior provides information about parental cooperation and predicts incubation effort. We found that incubating parents vocalized twice as much before the arrival of their partner than during other times of incubation. In 75% of nest reliefs, the incubating parent left the nest only after its partner had returned and initiated the nest relief. In these cases, exchanges were quick (25s, median) and shortened over the incubation period by 0.1 – 1.4s per day (95%CI), suggesting that parents became more synchronized. However, nest reliefs were not cryptic. In 90% of nest reliefs, at least one parent vocalized, and in 20% of nest reliefs, the incubating parent left the nest only after its returning partner called instantaneously. In 30% of cases, the returning parent initiated the nest relief with a call; in 39% of these cases, the incubating partner replied. If the partner replied, the next off-nest bout was 1 – 4hr (95%CI) longer than when the partner did not reply, which corresponds to an 8 – 45% increase. Our results indicate that incubating semipalmated sandpipers, which rely on crypsis to avoid nest predation, have quick but acoustically conspicuous nest reliefs. Our results also suggest that vocalizations during nest reliefs may be important for the division of parental duties.

Transmission of Skrjabinoclava morrisoni Wong and Anderson, 1988 (Nematoda: Acuarioidea) to semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla (L.)) (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae)

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 2265-2269 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. Wong ◽  
R. C. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Final Host ◽  
Infective Stage ◽  
Fourth Stage ◽  
Corophium Volutator ◽  
Marine Amphipod ◽  
Experimental Bird ◽  
Calidris Pusilla ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpipers

Skrjabinoclava morrisoni Wong and Anderson, 1988 of the proventriculus of semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla (L.)) developed to the infective stage in the marine amphipod Corophium volutator (Pallas). The first moult occurred 8 d and the second, 11 d postinfection at 20 °C. In the final host, fourth-stage larvae were recovered from one experimental bird examined 8 d postinfection. Juvenile birds collected at Long Point, Ontario, were not infected with S. morrisoni suggesting that transmission may not occur on the breeding ground. Transmission occurs, however, in the Canadian Maritimes and the Gulf of Mexico, as evidenced by the presence of juvenile S. morrisoni in birds collected on Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, and birds recently arrived at Delta Marsh, Manitoba, from the Gulf Coast.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document