An artificial lakes system intended for human recreation supports a vital breeding population of Red-wattled Lapwing in the Arabian Desert

Elhassan, Esmat; Sládeček, Martin; Brynychová, Kateřina; Chajma, Petr; Firlová, Veronika; Janatová, Veronika; Kubelka, Vojtěch; Pešková, Lucie; Vozabulová, Eva; Almuhery, Aisha; Šálek, Miroslav

doi:10.5751/ace-01978-160220

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Red-wattled lapwing (RWL) was investigated in the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, located about 30 km from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (24.83°N 55.36°E). The study area (6.63 km 2 ) consisted of a mixture of desert, artificial lakes supplied with desalinated water from the sea, and sparse tree plantations [ 31 , 35 ]. The study area was inhabited by a population of ~ 80 pairs of the model species.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, we selected two lapwings from the family Charadriidae: the Northern lapwing ( Vanellus vanellus ), breeding in a temperate climate, and the Red-wattled lapwing ( Vanellus indicus ), from a hot desert climate. Compared to the Red-wattled lapwing, the Northern lapwing exhibits higher reproductive effort (relative clutch volume; own data), and faster chick growth [ 31 ], indicating a more efficient metabolism [ 28 , 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Offspring thermal demands and parental brooding efficiency differ for precocial birds living in contrasting climates

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Chicks of precocial birds hatch well-developed and can search actively for food but their homeothermy develops gradually during growth. This makes them dependent on heat provided by parents (“brooding”), which is then traded off against other activities, mainly foraging. Although brooding has been documented in many precocial birds, little is known about the differences in the amount and efficiency of brooding care, brooding diel rhythmicity, and impact on the chick’s growth, particularly between species living in different climatic conditions. Results We used multisensory dataloggers to evaluate brooding patterns in two congeneric species inhabiting contrasting climate zones: temperate Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) and desert Red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus). In accordance with our expectation, the adult desert lapwings brooded the chicks slightly less compared to the adult temperate lapwings. However, the desert lapwings brooded their chicks in higher ambient temperatures and less efficiently (i.e. they could not reach the same brooding temperature as the temperate lapwings), which are new and hitherto unknown brooding patterns in precocial birds. In both species, night brooding prevailed even during warm nights, suggesting a general brooding rule among birds. Although the high rates of brooding can reduce the time spent by foraging, we found no negative effect of the high brooding rate on the growth rate in either species. Conclusions Our data suggest that the chicks of species breeding in colder climates may reduce their thermal demands, while their parents may increase the efficiency of parental brooding care. More research is however needed to confirm this as a rule across species.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Offspring thermal demands and parental brooding efficiency differ for precocial birds living in contrasting climates

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The reserve is in a primarily desert area and includes a system of artificial lagoons with small islands, built for recreation and in support of biodiversity. On an area of 6.63 km 2 , there is a stable population of ~250 adult individuals of Red‐Wattled Lapwing, of which roughly 60% breed there from February to August (Elhassan et al, 2021). The lagoons also provide suitable habitats for other species, many of which are potential predators of adult lapwings, for example, feral cat, Red Fox ( Vulpes vulpes arabica ), and Desert Monitor ( Varanus griseus ), or potential predators of lapwing nests, for example, Brown‐Necked Raven ( Corvus ruficollis ) and Marsh Harrier ( Circus aeruginosus ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Incubating adults were readily visible from a distance, and we were, therefore, able to find nearly all active nests (Elhassan et al, 2021;Sládeček et al, 2021). Whenever a nest was found, the GPS position was recorded and the incubation start date was estimated based on an egg flotation test (van Paassen et al, 1984).…”

Section: General Field Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is unlikely that all these visitors without color rings were closely related to the parents defending the nests, and that they were currently breeding. In fact, nonbreeding conspecific floaters were common across the area throughout the breeding season (Elhassan et al, 2021) and could easily move among the breeding territories. We suggest additional possible explanations for their presence at the nests during experiments.…”

Section: Origin Of Conspecific Visitorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Aggressiveness in a subtropical shorebird's nest defense is adjusted to the predator species and shared by conspecifics

Brynychová

Sládeček

Pešková

et al. 2022

Aggressive Behavior

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aggression is an important component of an animal's defense when protecting offspring from predators. Ground nesting birds use a variety of defense strategies.However, their choice according to situation context is poorly known, especially in nonpasserines and in the subtropics and tropics. The ability to distinguish between differently dangerous predator species and the opportunity to share defense with conspecifics are potentially important but little-studied aspects of nest defense strategy. We experimentally studied the nest defense of Red-Wattled Lapwing in an individually marked population in a desert area near Dubai, UAE. We used three stuffed models representing 1) a predator dangerous both to adults and to nests (a cat), 2) a nest predator (a raven), and 3) a harmless reference model (a moorhen).We confirmed that the lapwings distinguished between predator species (being most aggressive toward the cat, and least aggressive toward the moorhen) and adjusted their defense strategy accordingly. In addition, conspecific visitors play a variety of roles in parents' defense strategy. They can strengthen the parental reaction, or they can assist in distracting a predator. The visitors included not only nesting neighbors but also nonbreeding floaters. Both parents participated in nest defense to a similar extent, regardless of incubation stage and ambient temperature. This study provides new insight into the complexity of the defensive patterns in ground-nesting birds inhabiting a hot environment. Comparative experimental research on a range of environments, with various bird species and predator models, can help us to understand the drivers of these defensive behavioral patterns.

show abstract

Noise pollution does not significantly affect distributions of red-wattled lapwing Vanellus indicus and pied king-fisher Ceryle rudis in a riverine ecosystem

Nasirpour,

Amininasab,

Hosseini-Moosavi

et al. 2024

Ornithol. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An artificial lakes system intended for human recreation supports a vital breeding population of Red-wattled Lapwing in the Arabian Desert

Cited by 5 publications

References 41 publications

Offspring thermal demands and parental brooding efficiency differ for precocial birds living in contrasting climates

Offspring thermal demands and parental brooding efficiency differ for precocial birds living in contrasting climates

Aggressiveness in a subtropical shorebird's nest defense is adjusted to the predator species and shared by conspecifics

Noise pollution does not significantly affect distributions of red-wattled lapwing Vanellus indicus and pied king-fisher Ceryle rudis in a riverine ecosystem

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About