Nesting Success of Five Ciconiiform Species in Relation to Water Conditions in the Florida Everglades
Frederick PC and Collopy MW. 1989. Nesting Success of Five Ciconiiform Species in Relation to Water Conditions in the Florida Everglades. The Auk. 106(4):625-634
Present and past surface water conditions affect the nesting success of foraging wading birds in freshwater marshes. The authors studied the nesting success of five species of wading birds (Ciconiiformes) in Everglades National Park and Water Conservation Area 3 (which lies to the north of the national park). Birds studies were white ibis (Eudocimus albus), great egret (Casmerodius albus), tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor), little blue heron (Egretta caerulea), snowy egret (Egretta thula). The authors made repeated visits to a total of 1,609 marked nests in 18 colonies in 1986 and 1987. The authors found that abandonment was the most common cause of nesting failure for all species and usually occurred following heavy rainfall and periods of rising surface water. The authors report specific nesting success rates in relation to water conditions for each species. An included map shows colony locations and the study area.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Frederick, Peter; Collopy, Michael
- Units
- EVER
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Colonies, great egret (Casmerodius albus), Hydrology, Impacts, little blue heron (Egretta caerulea), Nests & Nesting, Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor), Water Conservation Areas FL, Water Level, White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)