Reproductive success of nesting terns on the central Texas coast

Abstract

Terns are relatively long-lived seabirds that possess significant potential as bioindicators due to their sensitivity to changes in the marine and coastal environment. Nest site selection is important because the demands of reproduction can be substantial and the reproducing pair is often confined to the area selected for the duration of the breeding season. This study defines temporal effects and correlations between hatching success of nesting Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri, Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica, and Least Tern Sternula antillarum and environmental characteristics of a complex of newly constructed dredge material islands in Nueces Bay. Colonies were monitored during the 2012 and 2013 breeding seasons. Correlations of hatching success varied with species but most were strongly influenced by Spartina spp. coverage and elevation implying a previously understated importance of storm events on the hatching success of these species on the central Texas coast. Establishing these correlations in environmental nest site characteristics and hatching success between years of succession provides a baseline understanding of tern breeding biology on dredge material islands in the central Coastal Bend region of Texas, which may assist future management decisions and restoration efforts.