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Article: Common eider (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) nest cover and depredation on central Alaskan Beaufort Sea barrier islands.
- Article from:
- Arctic
- Article date:
- June 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Arctic Institute of North America of the University of Calgary. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ABSTRACT. Female common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) generally select nest sites in areas with driftwood cover. Previous studies of common eiders have shown a positive relationship between nest success and driftwood cover. Our observations led us to hypothesize that cover does not enhance nest success when mammalian predators are present. To evaluate nest cover selection in common eiders, we examined five years of nesting data to determine the interactions between the probability of nest activity and the amount of driftwood cover in the presence of avian versus mammalian predators. Most common eider nests were surrounded by low (40%) or moderate (38%) driftwood ...