Sex-biased mortality of common terns in wind farm collisions

• Published in: The Condor
• Main Authors: Stienen, Eric, Courtens, Wouter, Everaert, Joris, Van De Walle, Marc
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: /dk/atira/pure/thematic/inbo_th_00044; Policy; /dk/atira/pure/thematic/inbo_th_00046; Natura 2000 and conservation objectives; /dk/atira/pure/thematic/inbo_th_00071; Conservation; /dk/atira/pure/thematic/inbo_th_00103; Wind energy; /dk/atira/pure/thematic/inbo_th_00036; Environment; /dk/atira/pure/thematic/inbo_th_00026; Birds; /dk/atira/pure/discipline/B000/B003/B280-dierenecologie; B280-animal-ecology; Sterna hirundo
• Online Access: https://data.inbo.be/pureportal/en/publications/sexbiased-mortality-of-common-terns-in-wind-farm-collisions(948f1f2b-4a50-4041-8d43-849d8c289e81).html; https://doi.org/10.1525/cond.2008.110.1.154; https://data.inbo.be/purews/files/271845/178154.pdf

We studied sex differences in collision mortality in adult Common Terns ( Sterna hirundo ) at a wind farm in the direct vicinity of a breeding site in Zeebrugge, Belgium in 2005-2007. In total, 64 fatalities were collected and sexed, of which 64% were males. Uneven sex ratio among these birds was most pronounced during the period of incubation and early chick feeding (15 May-15 June), when 78% of the 28mortalities were male. During prelaying and feeding of young, the sex ratio of mortalities did not differ from equality. We argue that sex-biased collision mortality in Common Terns does not result from morphological differences between the sexes, but rather reflects differences in foraging frequency between males and females during egg-laying and incubation.