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Avian Research 2020, 11(1): 3 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-020-0189-y
Research | Open Access | Issue | Published: 05 February 2020

Foraging behavior of the Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) wintering at Shengjin Lake: diet shifts and habitat use

Show Author's Information Yanguang Fan1,2,  Lizhi Zhou1,2( ),  Lei Cheng1,2,  Yunwei Song3,  Wenbin Xu3
School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecosystem Protection and Restoration (Anhui University), Hefei 230601, China
Anhui Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve, Dongzhi 247200, China
Keywords:
Habitat use, Foraging behavior, Foraging rate, Food resources, Grass height
Cite this article:
Fan Y, Zhou L, Cheng L, et al. Foraging behavior of the Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) wintering at Shengjin Lake: diet shifts and habitat use. Avian Research, 2020, 11(1): 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-020-0189-y
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Abstract Full text About this article
Background

The habitat use and foraging behaviors of waterbirds are closely related to the distribution and abundance of their food resources. Reductions in food supply can cause waterbirds to shift their habitats and adjust their foraging behaviors to meet their nutritional requirements and increase fitness. Seasonal withdraw of the water levels in the river-connected lakes in the middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain provides abundant food resources for the wintering Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons). Sedge (Carex) meadows are critical foraging habitats for herbivorous waterbirds in the hydro-fluctuation belt, which changes with hydrological conditions and climate. This study aimed to examine the behavioral responses of the Greater White-fronted Goose to temporal- spatial changes of food availability in the Sedge meadows.

Methods

Fields surveys were carried out at Shengjin Lake from November 2017 to April 2018. According to the phenology of Shengjin Lake, we divided the wintering season into three periods. The food density, minimum temperature, food items, grass height, and number of foraging geese were surveyed, and samples of the foraging behavior were collected. We analyzed the relationship of the foraging behavior and habitat use relative to the food resources, using correlation and linear regression analyses.

Results

Along with the temporal-spatial variation and exploitation of food resources, the food abundance and items varied widely among the foraging sites. Over the whole wintering period, the foraging habitat with the highest utilization rate was the meadows, followed by the paddy fields, and then mudflats. Furthermore, the utilization of the meadows showed a bimodal distribution trend, while the paddy fields showed a unimodal trend, and a decreasing trend was seen in the mudflats over the whole wintering period. The results of the generalized linear model showed that the foraging rate was related to the food density and grass height, with a linearly increasing trend during the winter.

Conclusions

With the change of food resources in the three habitats, the habitats used by the Greater White-fronted Geese shifted from meadows in the hydro-fluctuation belt to the paddy fields, and then back to the meadows. The time budget for foraging activities increased correspondingly, and there was an increase in the foraging rate to compensate for food shortages.


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About this article

Foraging behavior of the Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) wintering at Shengjin Lake: diet shifts and habitat use

Show Author's information Yanguang Fan1,2, Lizhi Zhou1,2( ), Lei Cheng1,2, Yunwei Song3, Wenbin Xu3
School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecosystem Protection and Restoration (Anhui University), Hefei 230601, China
Anhui Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve, Dongzhi 247200, China

Abstract

Background

The habitat use and foraging behaviors of waterbirds are closely related to the distribution and abundance of their food resources. Reductions in food supply can cause waterbirds to shift their habitats and adjust their foraging behaviors to meet their nutritional requirements and increase fitness. Seasonal withdraw of the water levels in the river-connected lakes in the middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain provides abundant food resources for the wintering Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons). Sedge (Carex) meadows are critical foraging habitats for herbivorous waterbirds in the hydro-fluctuation belt, which changes with hydrological conditions and climate. This study aimed to examine the behavioral responses of the Greater White-fronted Goose to temporal- spatial changes of food availability in the Sedge meadows.

Methods

Fields surveys were carried out at Shengjin Lake from November 2017 to April 2018. According to the phenology of Shengjin Lake, we divided the wintering season into three periods. The food density, minimum temperature, food items, grass height, and number of foraging geese were surveyed, and samples of the foraging behavior were collected. We analyzed the relationship of the foraging behavior and habitat use relative to the food resources, using correlation and linear regression analyses.

Results

Along with the temporal-spatial variation and exploitation of food resources, the food abundance and items varied widely among the foraging sites. Over the whole wintering period, the foraging habitat with the highest utilization rate was the meadows, followed by the paddy fields, and then mudflats. Furthermore, the utilization of the meadows showed a bimodal distribution trend, while the paddy fields showed a unimodal trend, and a decreasing trend was seen in the mudflats over the whole wintering period. The results of the generalized linear model showed that the foraging rate was related to the food density and grass height, with a linearly increasing trend during the winter.

Conclusions

With the change of food resources in the three habitats, the habitats used by the Greater White-fronted Geese shifted from meadows in the hydro-fluctuation belt to the paddy fields, and then back to the meadows. The time budget for foraging activities increased correspondingly, and there was an increase in the foraging rate to compensate for food shortages.

Keywords: Habitat use, Foraging behavior, Foraging rate, Food resources, Grass height

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Publication history

Received: 08 April 2019
Accepted: 15 January 2020
Published: 05 February 2020
Issue date: January 2020

Copyright

© The Author(s) 2020.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of Anhui Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve for their help with the field work.

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