How are garbage dumps impacting vertebrate demography, health, and conservation?

Birds have been using anthropogenic materials for nest construction for the past few decades. However, there is a trade-off between the use of new nesting material, which is often linked to greater breeding success, and the higher risk of nestling mortality due to entanglement or ingestion of debris. Here, we investigate the incorporation of anthropogenic materials into nests of the white stork Ciconia ciconia, based on a long-term study of a population in Western Poland. We recorded at least one item of debris in 50 and 42% of nests at the egg and nestling stages, respectively. More debris was found in nests located in territories with higher number of anthropogenic material in the surrounding environment. We found a relationship between the age of females, the number of debris in the area surrounding a nest, and the number of debris in the nest. We found no significant effect of the total number of debris in nests on clutch size, number of fledglings, or breeding success. Studies on the influence of the age and sex of individuals in understanding this behaviour and its drivers in bird populations should be continued.

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Factors determining the occurrence of anthropogenic materials in nests of the white stork Ciconia ciconia.

. With the exception of western Europe, little is known about foraging by White Storks on rubbish dumps. Information is presented on this phenomenon along the migration routes and wintering grounds of the White Stork. White Stork foraging on rubbish dumps is a common behavior in northern Africa and the Middle East and appears related to the wintering of European White Storks in new areas closer to their breeding grounds. South Africa, where a local breeding population has established, is another region where foraging on rubbish dumps has been observed. The development of rubbish dumps may have major consequences for the future ecology of White Stork.

https://bioone.org/journals/waterbirds/volume-33/issue-1/063.033.0112/Foraging-of-White-Storks-Ciconia-ciconia-on-Rubbish-Dumps-on/10.1675/063.033.0112.pdf

Foraging of White Storks Ciconia ciconia on Rubbish Dumps on Non-Breeding Grounds

Flame retardant concentrations and profiles in wild birds associated with landfill: A critical review

Fortune favours the aggressive: territory quality and behavioural syndromes in song sparrows, Melospiza melodia

. Clutch size is an important life history trait, and factors such as nest predation and food availability can both be of crucial importance for its variation in nature. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of extra food on clutch size, laying date and hatching success in the White Stork. Three different colonies of White Storks were studied in northern Algeria over a three-year period (2002–2004) that was characterised by considerable variation in both food availability and precipitation. This study demonstrated that an extra food supply during the pre-laying period had a positive effect on clutch size — nests with extra food had larger clutches. There was also an advance in laying date and a greater hatching success in nests with access to extra food. In addition to food supply, clutch size was independently affected by the year, which could have been due to differences in rainfall. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest that extra food during the incubation period co...

Food Supply and External Cues Limit the Clutch Size and Hatchability in the White Stork Ciconia ciconia

Capsule Accessing extra food from waste dumps increases egg volume and hatching mass in White Storks.Aim To test how White Storks vary their investment in egg size, especially in last laid eggs, in relation to food availability, and to improve our understanding of the importance of extra feeding on intra-clutch variation.Methods The study was carried out in three White Stork breeding colonies in northern Algeria. Breeding performance was recorded in 70 nests over three years. White Stork colonies situated close to chicken farms were considered to be part of a ‘pseudo experiment’ where parents had access to extra food. Egg volume, laying order, hatching order and hatching weight were recorded.Results Egg volume and hatching mass in White Storks was significantly greater when they had access to extra food. The reproductive value of last laid eggs (fourth and fifth) doubled when females had access to extra food.Conclusion Laying smaller last eggs within a clutch provides a mechanism to facilitate early brood...

Food from dumps increases the reproductive value of last laid eggs in the White Stork Ciconia ciconia

In the present study, we evaluated the effect of distance to food from rubbish dumps and colony size on White Stork breeding success. Waste from poultry farms is expanding in the study area and is commonly used by the White Stork as a new food resource, which may explain the increase in the number of breeding Storks in the region. The study was carried out at 24 sites, including 88 different colonies of White Stork in northern Algeria, Setif (36°09′N, 05°26′E; 900 m.a.s.l.); over a 4-year period (2002–2005) with considerable variation in rainfall. Nests were monitored at different distances from 30 rubbish dumps emanating largely from chicken farms. Results of the General Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) showed that breeding success of White Stork was dependent upon distance to dumps, recording the highest values in nests close to these places with food supply. There was a highly significant interaction between the year and the distance to the rubbish dumps. That is, reproductive success was higher when there was extra food in all years except in 2002, which could be due to the very low rainfall during spring 2002. Also, we found a significant interaction between colony size and distance to a rubbish dump. Results suggest that White Stork breeding success was also affected by natural food resources, since bigger colonies may deplete natural prey sooner, which is more evident in dry years.

Sofia Djerdali

Papers

Food Supply and External Cues Limit the Clutch Size and Hatchability in the White Stork Ciconia ciconia

Food from dumps increases the reproductive value of last laid eggs in the White Stork Ciconia ciconia

The effects of colony size interacting with extra food supply on the breeding success of the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)