Hi,
Yesterday I commented to my companions that we often noticed
Grey-tailed Tattlers and some other species gorging on soldier crabs in
about April, as they were preparing for migration. I also commented
that they are bad economy for shorebirds, as there is so much tough
stuff to digest for so little energy gain. One of our team suggested
that the breeding cycle of the soldier crab may be such that in April
it is full of eggs, and that perhaps there is a greater energetic
benefit for shorebirds at that time of year.
However, on further thought, I considered the greater size of an adult
soldier crab, and perhaps it is too big for a shorebird to take. I have
not seen a shorebird take one of the larger individuals. Perhaps they
only take immature soldier crabs. And could they have softer shells?
It's an interesting thought though. Is there anyone out there who knows
anything about this, or who can forward this question to someone who
might know?
Cheers,
Jill
--
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
26° 51' 41"S 152° 56' 00"E
|
===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
===============================
|
