Habitat Use by Shorebirds at a Stopover Site in the Southern Great Plains

Abstract

We studied habitat use of shorebirds (Charadriiformes) at a wetland experiencing natural fluctuations in water levels located at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge in the south-central Great Plains. We describe use of macrohabitats (disturbed, deciduous, snags, and mudflat) and microhabitats (dry-land, wet-land, and water) by foraging groups (terrestrial-aquatic gleaner, small aquatic prober-gleaner, aquatic gleaner). Water level was correlated with shorebird abundance. The small aquatic prober-gleaner group comprised 85.9% of the total shorebird community. Shorebirds selected mudflat macrohabitats (P < 0.05) and avoided disturbed, deciduous, and snags. All shorebird groups selected water microhabitat, except for the small aquatic prober-gleaner group that selected wet-land microhabitat (P < 0.05). There was a negative correlation (r s = -0.36, n = 58, P = 0.005) between pool level and number of shorebirds per survey. The relationship of water level and shorebird abundance may have more impact in an unmanaged wetland than managed wetlands. Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge may be an important stopover site for small aquatic probes-gleaner species (e.g., western sandpipers, Calidris mauri) that require many stops along their migration routes.