behavior of buff-breasted sandpipers (tryngites subruficollis) during migratory stopover in agricultural fields行为buff-breasted鹬(tryngites subruficollis)迁徙停留在农业领域.pdfVIP

Behavior of Buff-Breasted Sandpipers (Tryngites subruficollis) during Migratory Stopover in Agricultural Fields 1 2 1 John P. McCarty *, Joel G. Jorgensen , L. LaReesa Wolfenbarger 1 Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America, 2 Nongame Bird Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America Abstract Background: Understanding the behavior of birds in agricultural habitats can be the first step in evaluating the conservation implications of birds’ use of landscapes shaped by modern agriculture. The existence and magnitude of risk from agricultural practices and the quality of resources agricultural lands provide will be determined largely by how birds use these habitats. Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Tryngites subruficollis) are a species of conservation concern. During spring migration large numbers of Buff-breasted Sandpipers stopover in row crop fields in the Rainwater Basin region of Nebraska. We used behavioral observations as a first step in evaluating how Buff-breasted Sandpipers use crop fields during migratory stopover. Methodology/Principal Findings: We measured behavior during migratory stopover using scan and focal individual sampling to determine how birds were using crop fields. Foraging was the most frequent behavior observed, but the intensity of foraging changed over the course of the day with a distinct mid-day low point. Relative to other migrating shorebirds, Buff-breasted Sandpipers spent a significant proportion of their time in social interactions including courtship displays. Conclusions/Significance: Our results show that the primary use of upland agricultural fi