Spatial ecology of little egret (Egretta garzetta) in Hong Kong uncovers preference for commercial fishponds.

ABSTRACT: Many natural wetlands have been converted to human-influenced wetlands. In some instances, human-influenced wetlands could provide complementary habitats for waterbirds, compensating for the loss of natural wetlands. Inner Deep Bay in Hong Kong is composed of both natural and human-influenced wetlands and is under immense development pressure. From an ecology perspective, we need to understand if different wetland types play the same ecological role. To achieve this, we tracked nine little egrets (Egretta garzetta) using GPS loggers for 14 months to study their spatial ecology, home range, movement and habitat use. We found that over 88% of the home range of all individuals comprised of wetlands (commercial fishponds, mangrove, gei wai, channel, and intertidal mudflat). Among

SUBMITTER: Pang CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7485483 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature