Sex-biased mortality of common terns in wind farm collisions
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 mo...
Published in: | The Condor |
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Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2008
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Subjects: | |
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 |
Summary: | 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. |
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