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An overwintering group of Red Knots Calidris canutus roselaari in Las Garzas Lagoon, Nayarit, Mexico

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Pages
135 – 141

Published
1 September 15

Authors
Nallely Arce, Roberto Carmona, Emmanuel Miramontes, Victor Ayala-Perez, Adriana Hernández-Alvarez, Luis F. Mendoza

DOI
10.18194/ws.00010

Correspondence
Nallely Arce
nallely_arce@hotmail.com
Departamento Académico de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, Apartado postal 19-B, La Paz, Baja California Sur, C.P. 23088, México

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We evaluated abundance and habitat use of Red Knots Calidris canutus roselaari at Las Garzas and Chahuín Lagoons, Nayarit, Mexico. We conducted surveys and behavioral observations, determined age distributions, scored abdominal profiles and searched for banded birds between 16 and 20 November 2013. Red Knots were found to use Las Garzas Lagoon, but not Chahuín Lagoon. We accumulated a total of 8,289 records of knots during the five days of surveys (maximum daily count of 940 birds). The highest abundances occurred in the northern part of Las Garzas (97.4% of total counts). This area was used primarily for roosting (80.2%), and for the birds that fed here, foraging activity was concentrated in the morning (65.7%). We observed a low proportion of juveniles (9.8% of total counts). Most birds presented a lean abdominal profile, but we observed daily changes in the profiles, suggesting the use of the area by different groups. We resighted a bird banded in Washington, USA, making this the southernmost record for Washington-banded birds to date. Las Garzas Lagoon is mainly a roosting site for the Red Knots that probably winter in the area, mainly for adults, whose lean abdominal profiles suggest that they are performing local movements and not preparing for long-distance flights. We suggest that additional research at this site is warranted, including monitoring, capture and banding.