Rearing Killdeers for Experimental Purposes

Abstract

Sixty-two killdeers (Charadrius vociferus) were reared in captivity and a flock easily maintained for 2 years. Most of the birds were hatched by artificial incubation from eggs taken in the field. Cardboard boxes 2 x 2 X 1 ft, warmed by a 60-watt lamp, housed four birds each for the first 2 weeks. For another week they were put outside during the day, and from 3 weeks they remained outside all year. Poultry wire enclosures for 10-20 birds, covering 8 x 10 ft of ground, were warmed by suspended 150-watt lamps. The ground was occasionally raked and spaded and given a thin mat of straw. Hatchlings the first week were fed only pieces of living earthworms, then large mealworms plus a mixture of boiled eggs and commercial cat food, and a commercial game bird feed. From 3 weeks on, the birds were maintained in a healthy condition on a diet of only cat food and game bird feed. Captive killdeers are very well suited for research on the biology of Charadriidae and should be useful in investigating the effects of pesticides and radioactive wastes on shorebirds. In many types of avian research it is desirable that captive birds be available for use as laboratory animals. For example, in our studies of the effects of avian digestion on the disseminules of aquatic organisms it is a considerable asset to have available a laboratory bird typical of a large avian group. The family Anatidae has presented no problem in this respect, for domestic mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) have proved to be excellent and readily available experimental birds (Proctor 1964, Malone 1965a). Among shorebirds, however, the counterpart to mallard ducks does not exist. Stickel et al. (1965) gave techniques for maintaining captive woodcocks (Philohela minor) but this species probably is of little significance in the dispersal I This research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant GM 11394-01A1. 589 are made for the current year. With recruitment indicated as low as 11 percent, a degree of confidence in the data higher than that is needed to administer regulations for a sustained yield of recreation from sandhill crane populations.