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Article: Wading bird use of Lake Okeechobee relative to fluctuating water levels.
- Article from:
- Wilson Bulletin
- Article date:
- December 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Wilson Ornithological Society. 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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Wading bird populations of the Everglades, including Lake Okeechobee, have declined through the loss or alteration of wetland habitat (Ogden 1978). Changes in wetland hydropatterns, including the timing, duration, and depth of inundation may severely impede the ability of wading birds to forage and reproduce successfully. Shortened hydroperiods can decrease the availability of prey (Loftus et al. 1987), and nesting colonies located in shorter hydroperiod marshes may be exposed to greater nest predation (Frederick and Collopy 1988). Wading birds require a narrow range of water depths in which to forage efficiently (Kushlan 1974, Custer and Osborne 1978), and receding water ...