Apparent survival and long-term population growth rate of the Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus in Mallorca, Balearic Archipelago, Spain

Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13157/arla.65.1.2018.sc2

Authors: Pere J. GARCIAS and Giacomo TAVECCHIA

E-mail: perejota@gmail.com

Published: Volume 65.1, January 2018. Pages 59-68.

Language: English

Keywords: population diagnosis, capture-recapture, island, migration and long-term monitoring

Summary:

During the last few decades, many breeding waders have been declining worldwide, probably due to the reduction of suitable coastal habitats. Diagnosis of population parameters has become increasingly important for the conservation of waders. We used capture-recapture information of 214 adult Kentish Plovers Charadrius alexandrinus, marked between 1977 and 2015 at two breeding areas in Mallorca, Spain, to assess any possible temporal trend in the survival probability. Mean adult survival probability was 0.756 ± 0.05 with no differences between the two areas. The sparseness of the data did not permit robust estimates of yearly survival. However, models with a temporal trend in survival probability were not retained. An age-structured population model including demographic stochasticity suggested a stable population (l = 1.024 ± 0.09). Perturbation analyses indicated that a 10% increase in mean breeding success (from 0.44 to 0.63), by reducing habitat loss or nest predation, would be sufficient to obtain positive population trajectories.