Dancing in the moonlight: evidence that Killdeer foraging behaviour varies with the lunar cycle
@article{EberhartPhillips2016DancingIT, title={Dancing in the moonlight: evidence that Killdeer foraging behaviour varies with the lunar cycle}, author={Luke J. Eberhart-Phillips}, journal={Journal of Ornithology}, year={2016}, volume={158}, pages={253-262} }
AbstractPlovers (subfamily: Charadriinae) are visual foragers that rely on ambient light for detection of invertebrates, as demonstrated by their foot-stirring behaviour used to stimulate a flight response in prey. At night, although ambient light is minimal, predation pressure from diurnal raptors is reduced and invertebrate prey availability increases, thus creating fitness benefits to nocturnal foraging by invertivores. The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a widespread yet understudied…
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