Geographical differences in nesting habitats of Terek sandpiper (Xenus cinereus)

Data concerning 303 nests of the Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus) from 58 breeding sites in different parts of Russia and Ukraine were analyzed. Among them 196 were found in the western and 107 in the eastern part of this species' breeding range. In the eastern part, 61% of nests were placed in forests or within bushes, while in the western part only 8% of them had such location. Moreover, in the eastern part the species seems to avoid natural open habitats in spite of their availability, whereas in the western part of the breeding area nests were built mostly in open habitats, like meadows, pastures, or sandbanks dominated by sparse and low vegetation. Therefore, western and eastern populations of the Terek Sandpiper differ in nesting habitat selection. This is an exception among related species of the family Scolopacidae, for which different nesting habitats were reported only occasionally. Received 19 November 2012. Accepted 4 May 2013. Key words: ecological plasticity, Eurasia, habitats, nest, Scolopacidae.
Breeding area of the Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus) covers a vast territory from the Baltic Sea coasts to the Chukotka Peninsula (Golovatin et al. 2010). The population is roughly estimated [...]