Sandwich terns Sterna sandvicensis feeding on shell fractions

A Brenninkmeijer, M Klaassen, Eric Stienen

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    Abstract

    During four evenings at the onset of egg laying, in late April and early May 1995, at least five Sandwich Terns Sterna sandvicensis were observed eating shell fragments on the island of Griend in the Dutch Wadden Sea. This behaviour was not observed before or after the egg-laying period. For fish-eating birds like terns, it has always been assumed that their regular diet would provide enough calcium for eggshell formation. Our observations on shell-eating Sandwich Terns may indicate that this assumption does not always hold.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalIbis
    Volume139
    Issue number2
    Pages (from-to)397-400
    Number of pages4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1997

    Thematic list

    • Coast and estuaries
    • Sea and coastal birds

    EWI Biomedical sciences

    • B280-animal-ecology

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