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Managing a breeding population of the Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis in a high-use recreational environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2010

Bernice Dowling  and
Michael A. Weston
Bernice Dowling
Affiliation:
Parks Victoria, Mornington Peninsula National Park, PO Box 117, Sorrento, Vic., 3943, Australia
Michael A. Weston
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., 3052, Australia
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Abstract

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Summary

Mornington Peninsula National Park, Victoria, Australia, is heavily used by recreationists. It also holds a breeding population of the Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis, a rare endemic shorebird. We monitored the population of plovers over seven breeding seasons, 1991–1998. Mortality of nests (about 60%), and of chicks (over 70%) was high, but preliminary data suggests mortality was low in juveniles. The major cause of mortality of nests was trampling by people. The causes of mortality in chicks is unknown, but mortality was age dependent, and was highest in the youngest chicks. A combination of management techniques that have been phased into operation over the seven years of the study appear to be increasing the reproductive success of the population.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , September 1999 , pp. 255 - 270
Copyright
Copyright © Birdlife International 1999

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