Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa l. lapponica eat polychaete worms wherever they winter in Europe

Capsule: Across the European wintering range Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica lapponica selected polychaete worms and especially Ragworms Hediste diversicolor , with differences between areas due to variations in prey availability. Aims: To determine the diet of Bar-tailed Godwits across their wi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bird Study
Main Authors: Duijns, Sjoerd, Hidayati, Nur Annis, Piersma, Theunis
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2013
Subjects:
KNOTS CALIDRIS-CANUTUS
WADING BIRDS CHARADRII
LONG-DISTANCE MIGRATION
WADDEN SEA
NEREIS-DIVERSICOLOR
SEASONAL-VARIATION
SOUTHWEST SPAIN
DIET
ECOLOGY
PREY
Calidris canutus
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11370/b072c03e-f942-4ce6-adf2-0fe940744ed8
https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/b072c03e-f942-4ce6-adf2-0fe940744ed8
https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2013.836153
Description
Summary:Capsule: Across the European wintering range Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica lapponica selected polychaete worms and especially Ragworms Hediste diversicolor , with differences between areas due to variations in prey availability. Aims: To determine the diet of Bar-tailed Godwits across their wintering range in Europe by the analysis of droppings, collected at five important wintering sites. Methods: Diet was estimated by the identification of undigested prey remains in droppings. We provide the rationale for quantifying the contributions of jawed and non-jawed polychaetes. Results: We identified 18 different prey species in the diet of wintering Bar-tailed Godwits. The Ragworm was the most common prey item and the only one actively selected. Ragworms, on average, contributed 79% to the diet in terms of biomass, followed by King Ragworm Alitta virens (with 17% biomass) and Lugworms Arenicola marina (with 2%). Polychaetes such as Alitta succinea and Scoloplos armiger were also regularly found in the diet. Bivalves, snails and crustaceans contributed less than 1% to the diet. Conclusion: This study highlights and confirms the importance of polychaete worms in the diet of European-wintering Bar-tailed Godwits.

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