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1 June 2014 Breeding Biology of Squacco Herons (Ardeola ralloides) in Northern Tunisia
Aymen Nefla, Wided Tlili, Ridha Ouni, Saïd Nouira
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Abstract

We studied the reproduction patterns of Squacco Herons, Ardeola ralloides, during 2009–2010. This study was carried out in two colonies located at Ichkeul National Park (37.184992 N, 9.633758 E) and Lebna Dam (36.744161 N, 10.916569 E), in northern Tunisia. We determined the reproductive performance of the species, and investigated the relationship between reproductive parameters and nest characteristics (height and diameter). We registered successful nesting, with mean clutch size of 4.51 ± 0.85 for both years combined. Hatching success was 3.67 ± 1.07 eggs hatched/nest and fledging success reached 3.06 ± 1.28 young/nest. All reproductive parameters varied between years. The diameter and the height of nest had no effect on the clutch size, the initial brood size, or the final brood size at each site. We estimated the body condition index (BCI) and the growth curves of developing nestlings from repeated measurements of body mass, tarsus, head and bill length. The last chicks (rank four) to hatch had lower (BCI) and growth rates than the first, the second, and the third hatched chicks. These results stress the need for further protection measures be undertaken at Lebna Dam. Accessibility to the site should be highly controlled by the managers of Tunisian wetlands.

2014 by the Wilson Ornithological Society
Aymen Nefla, Wided Tlili, Ridha Ouni, and Saïd Nouira "Breeding Biology of Squacco Herons (Ardeola ralloides) in Northern Tunisia," The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 126(2), 393-401, (1 June 2014). https://doi.org/10.1676/13-130.1
Received: 18 August 2013; Accepted: 1 January 2014; Published: 1 June 2014
KEYWORDS
body condition index
growth rate
Ichkeul
Lebna
reproductive parameters
Squacco Heron
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