SREL Reprint #2908
Comparison of wood stork foraging success and behavior in selected tidal and non-tidal habitats
F. Chris Depkin, Laura K. Estep, A. Lawrence Bryan, Jr., Carol S. Eldridge, and I Lehr Brisbin, Jr.
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
Abstract:
In 1999, we compared foraging success rates (captures/min) and
foraging behaviors of Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) at tidal
(Georgia) and non-tidal freshwater (South Carolina) foraging sites. Foraging
success rates were 30 times greater at the tidal site, but storks foraging
in tidal areas only fed at low tide, which limited their foraging time
at that site. On-site behaviors indicated the window of prey availability.
Storks at the tidal site engaged almost exclusively in foraging behaviors,
whereas storks at the non-tidal site devoted more time to other, non-foraging
behaviors (e.g., preening, resting). The greater foraging success rate
associated with the tidal site suggests that salt marsh/tidal creek habitats
are high-quality foraging areas.
SREL Reprint #2908
Depkin, F. C., L. K. Estep, A. L. Bryan, Jr., C. S. Eldridge, and I. L. Brisbin, Jr. 2005. Comparison of wood stork foraging success and behavior in selected tidal and non-tidal habitats. The Wilson Bulletin 117:386-389.