Abstract
Abstract The nesting ecology of breeding pairs of the Western Gull × Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus occidentalis × glaucescens) hybrid complex was investigated at two locations in coastal Washington. In Grays Harbor, breeding performance (clutch size, hatching and fledging success) was highest in vegetated habitat where nests were most dense and where natural screens blocked the nearest neighbor. Egg loss, presumably from gull predators, was common except in areas of dense vegetation. At Tatoosh Island, egg loss was rare, and breeding performance was similar in vegetated and rock habitats. To test if physical structure around open-area nests influenced egg loss in Grays Harbor, predator-exclusion fences were erected around nests on a sandbar island lacking vegetation. Excluding predators reduced egg loss and increased hatching success relative to nests with adjacent natural screens (driftwood logs >30 cm tall) or nests lacking natural screens. Pairs that nest in habitats with adequate habitat structure appea...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
