This module covers the following orders: CHARADRIIFORMES — Shorebirds, Gulls, & Allies
Shorebirds, gulls & allies Atlantic Puffin
Range: worldwide Morphology/ecology: diverse group of waterbirds, or secondarily derived landbirds; long pointed wings; waders, swimmers & aerial divers Behavior: mainly ground or cliff nesters; most monogamous biparental care, but interesting diversity of mating system and parental care patterns in sandpiper family. Taxonomic notes: sandgrouse now placed in their own order *ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES — Shorebirds, Gulls, & Allies — 17 families; 360 species
Important families: *Scolopacidae: sandpipers, phalaropes, snipe (dig for small invertebrates in mud) *Haematopodidae: oystercatchers (eat intertidal mollusks) *Recurvirostridae: avocets, stilts (small aquatic invertebrates) *Charadriidae: plovers (often terrestrial) *Laridae: gulls, terns (fish eaters, omnivores) *Stercorariidae: jaegers, skuas (predators, kleptoparasites (pirates)) *Rynchopidae: skimmers (slice water with knife-like beak to catch fish) *Alcidae: auks, puffins (swim underwater with wings to get fish)
Family Scolopacidae: sandpipers, phalaropes, snipes Stilt Sandpiper, Canadian arctic -Small to medium sized shorebirds, distinguished from plovers by short, elevated hind toe -Forage invertebrates from the ground, often using long, thin bills -Generally found in large flocks when not breeding -most nest in Arctic tundra -Precocial young
Baird ’ s Sandpiper, Canadian arctic
Sanderling baby, Canadian arctic
sandpipers in winter: social & subtle
Male Pectoral Sandpiper courtship display
Family Scolopacidae shows great variation in mating system. Phalaropes have role reversal (only males care for chicks) and females compete for males male Red Phalarope with chick
Red Phalaropes, arctic: two females competing for a male (dull bird)
White-rumped Sandpiper, Canadian arctic MATING SYSTEM = POLYGYNY
Buff-breasted Sandpiper MATING SYSTEM = LEKKING Photo Subhankar Banerjee Photo Brian Zwiebel
Family Haematopodidae: oystercatchers Black Oystercatcher, BC -Found mainly in rocky coasts or tidal flats -Beak especially adapted for opening bivalve shells
Family Recurvirostridae: avocets Red-necked Avocet, Australia -Thin, tall shorebirds -Stilts have straight bills -Avocet bills curve up
Family Charadriidae: plovers Southern Lapwing, Argentina
American Golden Plover, Canadian arctic -Superficially similar to sandpipers -Relatively short bills -Build cryptic nests in open habitat -Precocial young also cryptic
Family Laridae: gulls terns & skimmers Glaucous-winged Gull, B.C. -Small to medium waterbirds with diverse foraging habits. Occur in both ocean and inland habitats -Gulls particularly omnivorous -Terns are well-known as long-distance migrants
Mew Gull Herring Gull Gull species can differ in iris and eye ring color Both photos Art Morris
Common Tern, Quebec
Courtship feeding in Royal Terns, Mexico
Black Skimmer, photo Ian Parker Skimmers catch fish by trolling with knife-like lower manible in water and then snap shut when encounter a fish
Family Stercorariidae: jaegers & skuas Long-tailed Jaeger Canadian arctic fast flying predators & kleptoparasites (steal food) breed in polar regions
Family Alcidae: auks & puffins Pigeon Guillemot, B.C. -Highly specialized underwater hunters -“ fly ” underwater like penguins -Most nest colonially on cliff edges (notable exceptions: murrelets)
Thick-billed Murres Canadian arctic
Chick ready to fledge
murre chicks jump off 1000 foot cliffs at this age. Note that secondaries (glide) but not primaries (thrust) have grown
Convergent evolution: swimming seabirds (P & L p. 30) Charadriiformes (Dovekie) Procellariformes (Diving Petrel)