Age-dependent shifts and spatial variation in the diet of endangered Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) chicks.

ABSTRACT: The endangered Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) strictly breeds in marine environments and is threatened by the rapid loss of coastal wetlands within its breeding range. Adults with chicks are thought to gradually switch feeding sites from freshwater wetlands to coastal mudflats as the chicks' osmoregulatory system develops. We investigated age-dependent shifts in the diet of Black-faced Spoonbill chicks at four breeding colonies with varying freshwater habitat availability by examining stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) between the tip (grown at the age of 10 days) and middle (grown at the age of 22 days) portions of their primary feathers. The δ13C value of the middle portions was significantly higher than that of the tips, which suggested that the ratio of marine resources increased wit

SUBMITTER: Jeong MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8270140 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature