Facultative Interspecific Brood Parasitism in Colonial Breeding Waterbirds in Biebrza National Park, Poland

Abstract

Abstract. Interspecific brood parasitism occurs when the eggs of one species are laid in the nest of a different species, but evidence of this phenomenon is scarce. Facultative interspecific brood parasitism has been described in Charadriiformes. However, to our knowledge, our study provides the first documentation of facultative interspecific brood parasitism in the colonially breeding species we studied. The factors affecting its frequency in relation to colony species composition, nest density, and period of the breeding season was analyzed. Between 2006 and 2012, we monitored 2,493 nests of five species: Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus; n = 745), Common Redshank (Tringa totanus; n = 467), Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa; n = 237), Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus; n = 932) and Common Tern (Sterna hirundo; n = 112). Facultative interspecific brood parasitism was observed in 1.3% of all nests. Typically, a single egg was laid in a host nest (59.4% of parasitized nests), and a maximum...