Food Habits of Charadriiform Birds During Peak Migration Through Eastern South Dakota

• Main Author: Hauge, James Brian
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange 1987
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/4445; https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/context/etd/article/5477/viewcontent/Hauge_J.Brian_1987.pdf

The shorebirds, Order Charadriiformes, are very important organisms as they make up a great proportion of the summer biomass in arctic regions. Spring migration routes of many species of shorebirds carry them through eastern South Dakota where· lakeshores and temporary ponds are crucial stopover points. At these stopover points, the birds feed on various organisms which will supply them with the energy needed for completion of migration and for breeding. This is a study of the migratory schedules and feeding ecology of shorebirds migrating through eastern South Dakota during the spring migrations of 1985 and 1986. It is a part of the ongoing shorebird banding project conducted by Dr. John Haertel of the Biology Department at South Dakota State University. The major objectives of this study are: 1) to determine the peaks of shorebird migration through eastern South Dakota; 2) to determine the food items taken on migration stopover; and 3) to determine if the birds are selecting for specific food items. Information from studies based in South Dakota will add to the overall picture of migration across the United States.