Foraging Habitat Availability and the Non-Fish Diet Composition of the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) at Two Spatial Scales.

ABSTRACT: Habitat structure on foraging ground is one of the crucial factors determining diet diversity in colonially breeding avian predators. Quantifying the habitat and diet composition at different spatial scales (regional and local inter-colonial) can help provide understanding of the drivers of diet composition. In this study, we examined the composition of the non-fish diet of an opportunistic predator, the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), based on pellets. We compared pellets from 21 colonies in two different regions of Poland that differing in composition of foraging habitats. Multivariate statistical techniques were used to analyze the relationship between diet and habitat compositions in a 20 km radius around these colonies. Significant inter-regional and inter-colony differences in Gre

SUBMITTER: Cieslinska K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11393861 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature