This module covers the following orders: CHARADRIIFORMES — Shorebirds, Gulls, & Allies

Shorebirds, gulls & allies Atlantic Puffin

Range: worldwide Morphology/ecology: diverse group of waterbirds, or secondarily derived landbirds; long pointed wings; waders, swimmers & aerial divers Behavior: mainly ground or cliff nesters; most monogamous biparental care, but interesting diversity of mating system and parental care patterns in sandpiper family. Taxonomic notes: sandgrouse now placed in their own order *ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES — Shorebirds, Gulls, & Allies — 17 families; 360 species

Important families: *Scolopacidae: sandpipers, phalaropes, snipe (dig for small invertebrates in mud) *Haematopodidae: oystercatchers (eat intertidal mollusks) *Recurvirostridae: avocets, stilts (small aquatic invertebrates) *Charadriidae: plovers (often terrestrial) *Laridae: gulls, terns (fish eaters, omnivores) *Stercorariidae: jaegers, skuas (predators, kleptoparasites (pirates)) *Rynchopidae: skimmers (slice water with knife-like beak to catch fish) *Alcidae: auks, puffins (swim underwater with wings to get fish)

Family Scolopacidae: sandpipers, phalaropes, snipes Stilt Sandpiper, Canadian arctic -Small to medium sized shorebirds, distinguished from plovers by short, elevated hind toe -Forage invertebrates from the ground, often using long, thin bills -Generally found in large flocks when not breeding -most nest in Arctic tundra -Precocial young

Baird ’ s Sandpiper, Canadian arctic

Sanderling baby, Canadian arctic

sandpipers in winter: social & subtle

Male Pectoral Sandpiper courtship display

Family Scolopacidae shows great variation in mating system. Phalaropes have role reversal (only males care for chicks) and females compete for males male Red Phalarope with chick

Red Phalaropes, arctic: two females competing for a male (dull bird)

White-rumped Sandpiper, Canadian arctic MATING SYSTEM = POLYGYNY

Buff-breasted Sandpiper MATING SYSTEM = LEKKING Photo Subhankar Banerjee Photo Brian Zwiebel

Family Haematopodidae: oystercatchers Black Oystercatcher, BC -Found mainly in rocky coasts or tidal flats -Beak especially adapted for opening bivalve shells

Family Recurvirostridae: avocets Red-necked Avocet, Australia -Thin, tall shorebirds -Stilts have straight bills -Avocet bills curve up

Family Charadriidae: plovers Southern Lapwing, Argentina

American Golden Plover, Canadian arctic -Superficially similar to sandpipers -Relatively short bills -Build cryptic nests in open habitat -Precocial young also cryptic

Family Laridae: gulls terns & skimmers Glaucous-winged Gull, B.C. -Small to medium waterbirds with diverse foraging habits. Occur in both ocean and inland habitats -Gulls particularly omnivorous -Terns are well-known as long-distance migrants

Mew Gull Herring Gull Gull species can differ in iris and eye ring color Both photos Art Morris

Common Tern, Quebec

Courtship feeding in Royal Terns, Mexico

Black Skimmer, photo Ian Parker Skimmers catch fish by trolling with knife-like lower manible in water and then snap shut when encounter a fish

Family Stercorariidae: jaegers & skuas Long-tailed Jaeger Canadian arctic fast flying predators & kleptoparasites (steal food) breed in polar regions

Family Alcidae: auks & puffins Pigeon Guillemot, B.C. -Highly specialized underwater hunters -“ fly ” underwater like penguins -Most nest colonially on cliff edges (notable exceptions: murrelets)

Thick-billed Murres Canadian arctic

Chick ready to fledge

murre chicks jump off 1000 foot cliffs at this age. Note that secondaries (glide) but not primaries (thrust) have grown

Convergent evolution: swimming seabirds (P & L p. 30) Charadriiformes (Dovekie) Procellariformes (Diving Petrel)