Review of inter and intraspecific predation by shorebirds

Abstract

Predation is often the most important driver of breeding productivity and population dynamics in birds, with an increasing impact in the currently rapidly changing world. Despite decades of intensive research, our understanding of trophic interactions and food webs is still limited. Although there is good knowledge of regular predators within particular groups of animals, focused overviews of such predator-prey interactions are often lacking. Here, I review predation behaviour by shorebirds: plovers, sandpipers and allies, over the globe – presenting 16 cases of interspecific predation relationships and two cases of intraspecific predation of eggs or chicks, altogether involving 11 species of predators and 13 species of prey.