Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: Snowy Plover Adopting Least Tern Chick

  1. #1
    BPN Viewer
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Sarasota, Florida, USA
    Posts
    1
    Threads
    1
    Thank You Posts

    Default Snowy Plover Adopting Least Tern Chick

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Rick Greenspun is a bird guide with 35 years of experience birding. His story and my images follow:
    I witnessed something today that I have never seen before. A Least Tern chick had wandered too far away from its nest (scrape) and the parents, who were looking after another chick and egg, ignored it. The Least Tern chick repeatedly went to a Snowy Plover that was brooding two newly hatched chicks and incubating a third egg. It would rush out begging to be fed by approaching Least Tern adults and when rebuffed or attacked(pecked on the head) return to the Snowy Plover scrape. The Least Tern chick would snuggle up to the Snowy or crawl under the Snowy and the Snowy would stand up and let the Least Tern chick join the other Snowy chicks. The Snowy adults even drove off non-parent Least Tern adults that attacked this chick.
    Have you ever seen a bird accept a different species into the nest? The Least Tern chick remained with the Snowy family until we scooped it up following one of the attacks by an adult Least Tern and placed in its original nest. One of the Least Tern parents then arrived with a fish and fed it to the returned chick without fanfare. The chick then settled back into its original scrape along with its sibling. Amazing!
    Narrative by Rick Greenspun, images by Lou Newman, North Lido Beach,Sarasota, FL, May 24, 2009.

  2. #2
    Axel Hildebrandt
    Guest

    Default

    Welcome to BPN, Lou! Thank you for sharing the image and story! I have never seen anything like this and am glad you were able to help the little guy. It must have made your day. :)

  3. #3
    James Jans
    Guest

    Default

    This is really interesting! Were both Snowy Plover parents still present? Or had the female left already? Not sure where I'm going with my thinking here, but given that the Snowy offspring feed themselves, the parents might be expected to be a bit less aggressive toward a stranger. But if Mom were still around, would she be more reluctant than Dad to accept another little one?

  4. #4
    BPN Member Christopher Miller's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    5,677
    Threads
    586
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Very interesting story! Never heard of something like this before. Glad it had a happy ending! :)

  5. #5
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    23,119
    Threads
    1,523
    Thank You Posts
    Blog Entries
    55

    Default

    Lou, Welcome to BPN!! Great first post. This is an amazing story -Thankyou so much for sharing this. Also I am so glad you and Rick were able to help.

  6. #6
    Fabs Forns
    Guest

    Default

    Big welcome to BPN, Lou, and thanks for making my day with this story :)

  7. #7
    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    11,879
    Threads
    917
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Welcome Lou, and thanks for sharing such a cool story!
    Upcoming Workshops: Bosque del Apache 2019, Ecuador 2020 (details coming soon)
    Website -
    Facebook - 500px

  8. #8
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    6,588
    Threads
    643
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    This is indeed very interesting. There's a huge literature on adoption although it is within-species, not cross-species. I will post some information on this separately (I'm in field right now).

    If the chick had stayed with the plover, the outcome would not have been good for the chick. There is wide variation in birds as to how developed the chick is at hatching, and therefore how much care it needs from the parents. Some species produce chicks that are totally helpless and need feeding and brooding from the parent to survive. Some are the opposite and can move around, find food and eat on their own with minimal assistance from mum and dad. Then there are species in the middle (there are technical terms for each of these that I won't bore you with). The problem here is that plovers produce fairly independent chicks that feed on their own. Terns OTOH, are in between and although feathered, and semi-ambulatory, need to be fed by their parents. So you can see how this match, although superficially a good one will not work. Plovers simply don't have chick feeding behaviour in their repertoire. Very good that the chick got back home.
    Last edited by John Chardine; 07-08-2009 at 09:09 PM.

  9. #9
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Newton MA, USA
    Posts
    1,956
    Threads
    144
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Very interesting,

    Sounds like an evolutionary start of nest parasitism to me...
    Over time chicks adopted and fed by the host would have better
    chance of survival. At one point the tern could stop feeding their
    chicks as long as they make sure they lay the eggs close enough to the plovers.
    Just a thought.

  10. #10
    Ákos Lumnitzer
    Guest

    Default

    Welcome to BPN Lou! What an incredible find! Thanks for sharing it with us! :)

  11. #11
    BPN Viewer
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Anchorage
    Posts
    394
    Threads
    42
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    There are certainly many records of cross-species adoptions, feedings, or perhaps just tolerances but not many with such nice photo documentation to go along with the accounts. The most recent Wilson Journal of Ornithology has an account (and photo) of an Eastern Towhee feeding a nestling Wood Thrush (in the nest with a Wood Thrush present). Other examples include Northern Cardinal feeding goldfish(!), Pacific Loon with Spectacled Eider duckling, and of course numerous brood-parasites.

  12. #12
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Sugar Land, Texas USA
    Posts
    1,819
    Threads
    480
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I am in agreement about the very likely bad outcome for the least tern chick if it had not been returned to the parents. Plovers and most other sandpiper like birds have young that are exceptionally well developed when born. They have "huge" legs out of proportion for their bodies, and are ready to run! Tern chicks, on the other hand, are far less developed, and the feeding by the adults is prolonged, and they cannot obtain food on their own until they can fly. Even when the juveniles appear physically larger than the adults, you will often see them beg for food.
    The diets are quite a bit different as well. Terns: usually small fish and crustaceans(shrimp), all caught on the wing over water. The diet of of plovers and other similar birds is usually what they can find on mudflats or beaches. The fact is that terns eat fish makes it impossible for the youngster to find food on his own. On the other hand, plovers can find food at their feet! regards~Bill
    Last edited by WIlliam Maroldo; 07-09-2009 at 09:19 PM.

  13. #13
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Long Island, New York
    Posts
    6,275
    Threads
    574
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Incredible story, Lou, nicely photographed. Thanks for sharing it, and a big welcome to BPN.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics