Nest attendance of the Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus in relation to temperature and incubation stage

Abstract

ABSTRACT Nest attendance of Kentish Plovers Charadrius alexandrinus at an undisturbed site increased from approximately 70% in the initial days of incubation to 90–95% after day 10. During the day, nest attendance was negatively associated with ambient temperature, indicating that warm weather allowed parent birds to spend more time off the nest. At night, nest attendance was constant. Our results provide a baseline for nest attendance against which the effects of disturbance can be investigated.