Habitat and nest site selection in the Common Gull Larus canus in southern Poland: significance of man-made habitats for conservation of an endangered species

Skórka, Piotr; Martyka, Rafał; Wójcik, Joanna D; Babiarz, Tomasz; Skórka, Janusz

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Habitat and nest site selection in the Common Gull Larus canus in southern Poland: significance of man-made habitats for conservation of an endangered species

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Title: Habitat and nest site selection in the Common Gull Larus canus in southern Poland: significance of man-made habitats for conservation of an endangered species

Abstract:

The Common Gull is a rare and endangered breeding species at inland habitats in Poland as well as in some other countries in Europe. Breeding biology, habitat and nest site selection were studied in this species in southern Poland. Almost all birds nested on industrial water bodies (gravel pits, sedimentation basins), although fishponds and reservoirs were the most abundant habitat in the study area. Birds built their nests mainly on islets, man-made constructions and dry land on the shores of water bodies. The islets occupied by birds were smaller and were covered by lower vegetation than the unoccupied ones. When occupied islets on industrial water bodies were compared with a random sample of islets on fishponds, the latter were found to be larger, with taller and denser vegetation. This may explain why Common Gulls did not breed on fishponds in southern Poland. Shore-breeding birds nested in open areas with sparse vegetation, occupying sites with less vegetation cover and closer to shrubs or trees than randomly selected points. Breeding performance (mean date of clutch initiation, clutch size, clutch volume, hatching success and breeding success) did not differ among nests built on islets, man-made constructions or on the shores of the water bodies. Breeding success was more than twice as high as in large riverine colonies. Industrial water bodies may become important alternative breeding habitats for this species in Poland.

Relation:

Acta Ornithologica

Volume:

Issue:

Start page:

137

End page:

144

Detailed Resource Type:

Journal

Format:

application/pdf

Resource Identifier:

oai:rcin.org.pl:65688

Source:

MiIZ PAN, call no. P.257 ; MiIZ PAN, call no. P.4568 ; click here to follow the link

Language:

eng

Language of abstract:

pol ; eng

Rights:

Rights Reserved - Restricted Access

Terms of use:

Copyright-protected material. Access only on terminals at the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, may be used within the limits of statutory user freedoms.

Original in:

Library of the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Access:

Closed

Subject and keywords:

breeding biology common gull habitat selection larus canus man-made habitats nest sites nest size

Object collections:

Last modified:

Oct 2, 2020

In our library since:

Jun 15, 2018

Number of object content downloads / hits:

All available object's versions:

https://rcin.org.pl./publication/75760

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Acta Ornithologica
- Acta Ornithologica Musei Zoologici Polonici
- Acta Ornithologica

Edition name	Date
Habitat and nest site selection in the Common Gull Larus canus in southern Poland: significance of man-made habitats for conservation of an endangered species	Oct 2, 2020