Abstract

DESUCRE MEDRANO, Atahualpa Eduardo; CERVANTES ZAMUDIO, Osvaldo; RAMIREZ BASTIDA, Patricia  and  GOMEZ DEL ANGEL, Salvador. Notes on the breeding biology of the Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) at Lake Texcoco, Mexico. Huitzil [online]. 2011, vol.12, n.2, pp.32-38. ISSN 1870-7459.

The Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) is a shorebird that has been recently raised to full species status; moreover, it is threatened in the northern portion of its range. In Mexico, its breeding biology is poorly known and there are only isolated nesting records. In visits to Lake Texcoco, Estado de Mexico, from April 15 to 28 and July 1 to August 15, 2008, we registered the number of adults and chicks, and we estimated the age of the later, as well as the approximate dates of egg laying. We assessed age of hatchlings by the presence of the egg tooth and by morphometric measurements. We recorded 67 breeding adults and we captured and banded 27 chicks of 12 broods; additionally, we sight (but not banded) 33 chicks of 17 broods. The earliest laying date was March 20, and the last one June 18. The data provided here represent the first documented evidence of reproduction of the Snowy Plover in the Valley of Mexico.

Keywords : shorebirds; breeding; endangered species; IBA; Valley of Mexico.

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