Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus) nesting on edges of saline lakes within the Southern High Plains (SHP) of Texas are threatened by habitat degradation due to reduced artesian spring flow, making many saline lakes unsuitable for nesting and migrating shorebirds. Factors influencing nest success were evaluated, current nest success estimates in the SHP of Texas were compared to estimates obtained ten years prior, and causes and timing of nest failures determined. Overall, 215 nests were monitored from three saline lakes in 2008–2009, with nest success estimates from Program MARK ranging from 7–33% ( = 22%). The leading causes of nest failures were attributed to predation (40%) and weather (36%). Nest success was negatively influenced by number of plants within 707-cm² plot, positively influenced by percent surface water availability, and at one saline lake, negatively influenced by day during the nesting season (i.e., nest success declined later in the nesting season). When compared to estimates ten years prior (1998–1999), mean nest success has declined by 31%. If nesting Snowy Plovers continue to experience increased predation rates, decreased hydrological integrity, and habitat alterations, populations will continue to decline throughout this region.

Clutch size and nest survival of Cackling Geese (Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii) nesting among light geese (Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) and Ross's Geese (C. rossii;)) were examined at Karrak Lake, Nunavut, in Canada's central arctic, 1999–2009. Islands of Karrak Lake and adjacent Adventure Lake were selected by Cackling Geese for nesting instead of mainland habitat. Cackling Geese increasingly nested on islands during the study, while light goose nesting declined. Clutch size varied by year (range: 3.4–4.4 eggs), and declined with nest initiation date (_NID = -0.l77 (95% CI:-0.228,–0.126)). Nest survival during incubation varied among years (range: 8.6–88.2%), and was lowest during early and late incubation, although 95% CI of slope estimates with nest age included zero (_Age = 0.156 (95% CI -0.072, 0.383), _A2 = -0.006, (95% CI -0.027, 0.014)). Nest survival declined with individual nest initiation date (_NID = -0.431 (95% CI: -0.680, -0.182)). There was little support for nest survival models that included individual covariates of synchrony with light geese or weather during incubation. A posteriori analysis revealed that annual nest survival was greater in warmer years with less wind (_YearWeather = 1.738 (95% CI: 1.272, 2.205)), but spring phenology, intraspecific synchrony, or abundance of Cackling or light geese were not important. Reduced access to island-nesting geese by terrestrial predators, and predator satiation from high densities of nesting light geese on the surrounding mainland may result in islands within light goose colonies that are productive nesting habitats for many avian species, particularly if islands themselves are sparsely inhabited by light geese.

In the last few decades, Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) have become established in metropolitan areas throughout North America. From 1984 through 2009, Canada Geese in New Haven County, Connecticut, were banded as goslings (HY geese) and adults (AHY), and their movements and recruitment into the local breeding population were documented. During this period, the number of Canada Geese increased several fold in Connecticut. Geese were non-migratory; most recoveries (85%) of banded Canada Geese came from Connecticut, and 76% came from New Haven County. Dispersal rates outside of Connecticut peaked during 1990–1994 when 23% of all reported geese were shot outside of the state; more recently (2005–2009) only 3% of reported geese were shot outside 0f Connecticut. The proportion of dispersing geese that moved northward in the Atlantic Flyway has increased in recent years. Similar proportions 0f AHY females (23%) and AHY males (22%) were recruited into the local breeding population. Among HY geese, more females (22%) than males (5%) were recruited because HY males were more likely to disperse out of the county than HY females. Non-migratory populations of geese in metropolitan areas are causing nuisance problems; the restricted movements of these geese indicate that efforts to reduce their populations will have to be conducted at the local level.

Understanding daily movements of waterfowl is crucial to management of winter habitats, especially along the Gulf Coast where hunting pressure is high. Radio-telemetry was used to investigate movements of female Mallards (Anas platyrchychos) wintering in southwestern Louisiana. Movement distances were analyzed from 2,455 paired locations (diurnal and nocturnal) of 126 Mallards during winters 2004–2005 and 2005–2006 to assess effects of winter, female age, areas closed (Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge [LAC], Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge [CAM], Amoco Pool [AMOCO] or open to hunting [OPEN]), and habitat type, including all interactions. Movement distances from the various land management categories were not consistent by age, date, or by winter. Flight distances from LAC increased with date, whereas those from CAM and OPEN did not vary significantly by date. Female Mallards moved short distances between diurnal and nocturnal sites (ranging from 3.1 to 15.0 km by land management category), suggesting that they are able to meet their daily energy requirements within a smaller area than Northern Pintails (Anas acuta, hereafter Pintails), and thus minimize transit energy costs.

Habitat use by wintering Mallards (Anas platyrhychos) on the Gulf Coast Chenier Plain (GCCP) has received little study and quantitative data is needed for management of GCCP waterfowl. Radio-telemetry techniques were used to record habitats used by 135 female Mallards during winters 2004–2005 and 2005–2006 in south-western Louisiana. Habitat use was quantitatively estimated for areas open and closed to hunting, by general habitat types (i.e., marsh, rice, idle, pasture, or other), and for specific marsh types (i.e., freshwater, intermediate, brackish, or salt). Variation in these estimates was subsequently examined in relation to individual female, female age (adult or immature), winter (2004–2005 or 2005–2006), and hunt periods within winter (second hunting season [SHUNT] or post hunting season [POST]). Diurnal use of areas closed to hunting was greater during hunted time periods in winter 2005–2006 than in winter 2004–2005. Nocturnal use of areas closed to hunting was 3.1 times greater during SHUNT than during POST, and immatures used areas closed to hunting more than adults. Diurnal use of marsh was 3.3 times greater than that of any other habitat during both winters. Nocturnal use of marsh, rice, idle, and pasture were similar during both winters. Females used freshwater marsh habitats extensively (64.6–99.8% proportional use), whereas brackish and salt marsh combined was used less frequently (0–35.8% proportional use). These results suggest that freshwater marsh is important to Mallards and a high priority for restoration and management efforts.

Wading bird foraging success and habitat preference can be greatly affected by prey availability, which encompasses both prey density and the vulnerability of prey to capture. Two components of prey vulnerability, water depth and emergent vegetation, were manipulated within 10 m × 10 m enclosures to determine the relative effects on foraging habitat preference for eight species of wading birds and foraging success for a subset of four species that strike their prey. All species showed a strong preference for shallow water, and within this water depth showed a preference for the sparse vegetation density treatment. The preference for foraging habitat with a sparse or intermediate vegetation density has been documented in other studies, and may represent a tradeoff between selecting more heavily vegetated areas, which have a higher prey density, and more open areas, where prey are more vulnerable to capture. Almost all foraging occurred in the shallow water treatment, suggesting that preferred water depths constituted high quality habitat for wading birds. The weaker selection for sparse vegetation density and lack of an effect of vegetation density on capture rate and capture efficiency (p>0.05 for all tests, except Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) capture efficiency) suggested that emergent vegetation is of secondary importance to water depth as determinants of wading bird habitat quality.

The value of foraging studies in developing conservation strategies for storks is important because their breeding is often limited by food distribution. The foraging behavior and trophic specializations of the Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), a flagship of wetlands and listed as near threatened, is reviewed here. Trophic adaptations among Mycteria and other storks, the importance of prey capture by tactolocation and various aspects of foraging behavior including diet, prey size, foraging and nesting correlates, variations in foraging activity, nocturnal foraging and kleptoparasitism are examined. Also, an account of the foraging behavior of a close congener, Milky Stork (M. cinerea), and the manner in which the foraging activities of Painted Stork, particularly biomass removal by predation and enrichment of the waters by droppings impact the ecosystem, is included. Since nesting of Painted Stork and other species of colonial waterbirds is closely linked to the performance of the monsoon, the primary driver triggering their food cycles, points for further studies are listed.

As little is known about specific factors influencing wetland birds during migration, the effects of time period, hunting pressure, and year on wetland bird behavior were evaluated during spring migration. Avian behavior was quantified on 36–40 playa wetlands in the Rainwater Basin region of Nebraska, during springs 2002–2004. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test for differences in behavior among time periods, hunting categories (closed to hunting, hunted wetlands in-season, and hunted wetlands post-season), and years for geese, dabbling ducks, diving ducks, and shorebirds, as well as among two species of management concern; Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons) and Northern Pintails (Anas acuta). Overall, goose behavior did not differ among time periods or years; however, a greater percentage of geese were observed feeding in wetlands closed to hunting (11%) than on hunted wetlands in-season (5%). A smaller percentage of dabbling ducks was observed feeding on hunted wetlands in-season (19%) than on wetlands closed to hunting (24%) or on hunted wetlands post-season (28%). Diving duck and shorebird behavior did not differ among time periods, years, or hunting categories. Although spring hunting was implemented to reduce the light goose population, it may also be negatively influencing habitat quality at migration stopover sites for geese and dabbling ducks. Managers should consider limiting spring hunting disturbance on temporary and seasonal wetlands, where dabbling ducks spend more time foraging, than on semi-permanent wetlands.

Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) spend a substantial portion of their annual cycle at migratory staging areas. Despite the potential importance of staging areas to conservation of Eastern Population (EP) Tundra Swans, few data are available to assess life-history strategies of the species during migration. During 1999 and 2000, 48 adult Tundra Swans were collected during peak periods of spring and autumn migration at Long Point, Ontario, Canada, to establish baselines on nutrient reserve levels and morphology of digestive organs. Results were compared to nutrient reserve data for EP Tundra Swans collected at a major wintering area in North Carolina, USA. Lipid reserve levels did not differ between sexes nor varied with body size, but lipid reserves were approximately two times greater in autumn than spring. Males had greater protein reserves than females, and protein reserves were similar during autumn and spring. Although digestive organs were predicted to be longer and heavier during autumn, no seasonal variation in digestive organs was detected. Lipid reserve levels of Tundra Swans at Long Point during spring were similar to those recorded for wintering birds in North Carolina, suggesting that lipid reserves catabolized from autumn through winter were not replenished prior to arriving at this initial spring staging area. The results highlight the importance of managing quality aquatic and terrestrial foraging habitats at staging areas for conservation EP Tundra Swans.

Through the use of conspecific models and vocalizations, populations of conservation concern can be established in locations where limiting factors may be controlled or mitigated, assuming managers can both identify and create high-quality locations. From 2003 to 2008, conspecific attraction was used to establish populations of the state-endangered Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) in northeastern Illinois, USA. In 2009 and 2010, similar techniques were used with the federally-threatened Least Tern, (Stemula antillarum) near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in Missouri, USA. At both locations, managers attempted to control factors that may limit tern reproductive success. While in most cases nesting populations were established, in some cases resulting in the greatest documented reproductive success in the region for decades, nest predation the year after the colonies were established was significantly higher than in the year the colony was established. The establishment of colonies attracted a variety of predators, some of which gained access to the colonies and predated tern nests. Conspecific attraction behavior may be a strategy used by birds to stay “one step ahead” of nest predators, and the repeated use of conspecific attraction by managers may result in individuals nesting at a site with high rates of nest predation. As a conservation tool, conspecific attraction should only be used in situations where nest predators can be effectively controlled.

Ducks are unusual because males of most Holarctic species acquire brightly-pigmented breeding plumages in autumn and winter and not spring as with most other birds. Based on an evaluation of molt phenology of ducks under the system of molt terminology invented by Humphrey and Parkes (1959), Pyle (2005) concluded that, for most North American duck species, the molt that produces bright plumages is basic in nature, the molt that typically produces a short-lived, dull “eclipse” plumage in spring or summer is alternate in nature, and the annual wing molt that largely occurs between these two molts is part of the subsequent recharacterized prebasic molt. For various reasons, it appears more likely that the timing of conventional prealternate molts in most Holarctic duck species has accelerated forward over time to autumn and winter in response to selection for early courtship and pairing, with resulting changes in the duration of alternate and basic plumages. These reasons include acceleration in the timing of the prealternate molt in sea ducks after they reach the age of first breeding. An accelerated timing of prealternate molts can explain why certain ducks exhibit an ephemeral, limited first prebasic molt, which appears to be a lost molt and not a virtually nonexistent, unique preformative molt as maintained by Pyle (2005). The accelerated timing hypothesis also can explain why the extent of prealternate molts may have become more complete and the extent of prebasic molts may have become less complete in certain ducks. The accelerated timing hypothesis appears more parsimonious from an evolutionary perspective than the system of Pyle (2005), and does not require the categorical rejection of plumage color and pattern in molt homology analyses, as advocated by Pyle (2005).

The food provided to South Polar Skuas (Stercorarius maccormicki) chicks was determined at two Antarctic sites where South Polar Skuas breed sympatrically with Brown Skuas (S. antarcticus). At Harmony Point on Nelson Island, 16 samples of regurgitated stomach contents were analyzed, all contained remains of penguin chicks (mostly soft tissues), which constituted the bulk of the contents, while only two samples had fish or krill remains. These South Polar Skuas had access to penguin colonies, where they hunted chicks or fed on fresh carcasses. However, at Half Moon Island, only two out of nine samples contained minor amounts of penguin remains while fish were the major dietary resource. The high fish content in their diet may indicate a preference for marine rather than terrestrial resources or be the result of competition with Brown Skuas. The variability in food items evidenced by the differences in regurgitated stomach contents indicates that South Polar Skuas may have a trophic plasticity that allows them to change their feeding habits from one resource to another one according to availability. Such may make them less vulnerable to a reduction in the availability of a particular food item.

Population growth of piscivorous species raises concerns when it could affect aquaculture activities. In this study, an increase of the Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) population in the Ecuadorian Andes was documented using census data from three high Andean lakes (Yahuarcocha, San Pablo and Yambo) for 2004–2010. In the 20th Century, only one record of the species existed for the study area. From 2005 onward, the species occurred regularly at all three lakes. At Yahuarcocha, the wintering population (October–February) grew at an annual rate of 0.382 ± 0.05, reaching 307 in 2010. The population consists mainly of non-breeding migrants, and at the present time, the wintering distribution range of cormorant populations in Ecuador includes the high Andes. Given reports of cormorant predation at fish farms, potential conflicts on account of cormorant expansion are discussed.

The health of wildlife can be affected by the ingestion of non-edible, anthropogenic debris that mimic prey. First evidence of localized, massive ingestion of rubber bands is provided for an earthworm consumer, the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia), using nest contents and necropsies recorded in France. In 2003–2004, the prevalence of rubber bands and other debris in nests (N = 227) differed between the nine regions analyzed and decreased as distance from the nearest rubbish dump (distRD) increased. Hence, ingestion of rubber bands would occur only at some rubbish dumps. Nests with rubber bands contained 6.5 ± 2.5 units (max: 27; independent of distRD). The number of chicks was not related to the presence/absence of rubber bands in their nest. In 2008–2010, 26% of necropsied storks (N = 57: Alsace region) had rubber bands in their digestive tract. Seven instances of death due to gut occlusion by rubber bands are reported. Immature birds may be more exposed to rubber band ingestion than adults because of their lower ability at discriminating and regurgitating non-edible items, as well as their higher frequentation of rubbish dumps. The disposal of used rubber bands in a form that prevents ingestion by earthworm consumers is recommended.

Sound management of the Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) requires an understanding of its survival and cause-specific mortality, yet these parameters have not been studied in Taiwan. From January 1999 to December 2002, a study was conducted along the Tachia River, in central Taiwan, where the largest population of Mandarin ducks resides. The sex ratio was male-biased for adults (average 2.10:1) but not for juveniles (average 0.92:1). Ducks (34 males and 42 females) were radio-tagged and monitored two to three times per month for 1–47 months. Annual survivorship was 0.80 and 0.44 for male and female ducks, respectively; lower female survival may lead to a male-biased sex ratio. Forty-three ducks died, the greatest proportion from unknown causes, followed by avian predators, mammalian predators and anthropogenic activity. Mortality occurred year-round, but female mortality was greatest from spring to fall, 9–10 carcasses, while male mortality (seven) was greatest in the winter.