Coloniality is unusual among Scolopacidae. At Churchill, Manitoba, however, the small, remnant population of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) is highly clumped, with nesting density approximating 3–4 pairs/ha, and should be considered colonial. The species exhibits high fidelity to territory, mates, and nest sites—behaviors that promote rapid pair formation and allow experienced birds to increase their reproductive success by nesting earlier than pairs forming for the first time. The value of experience and early nesting was evidenced by the fact that six of seven returning young were produced by experienced pairs and had hatched on the first day of their respective nesting seasons. Nests were placed in dry locations very near open water. Those adjacent to small shrubs had slightly greater success, and young produced from these nests had much higher rates of return than those from nests placed amid sedges. In other parts of their breeding range, Semipalmated Sandpipers are also clumped and seem likely to be colonial. If so, estimates of breeding populations derived from indirect methods, such as habitat assessment from aerial photographs, will have limited applicability and will need to be complemented by ground-truthing.
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1 December 2006
COLONIALITY, MATE RETENTION, AND NEST-SITE CHARACTERISTICS IN THE SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER
JOSEPH R. JEHL
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The Wilson Journal of Ornithology
Vol. 118 • No. 4
December 2006
Vol. 118 • No. 4
December 2006