|
The Feeding Habits of Waders
 |
Redshank waders usually have
long legs and beaks
|
The niche
that these birds have carved out in our environment is a hard place
to live. Most feed where mud and sandy areas become exposed at low
tide. They feed on the huge numbers of animals that live in mud and
sand, ranging from tiny, almost microscopic snails and worms to
large shellfish, crabs and Lug Worms. Their feeding grounds are
often exposed to strong winds and driving rain and for most of our
waders the sea completely covers their feeding areas twice every
twenty-four hours.
When it
comes to feeding methods waders can be divided into two main
groups: those that feed mainly by sight such as the plovers, and
those that feed mainly by touch such as Snipe. Waders that feed by
touch feed below the surface, probing into the soft mud or sand
with an array of beaks shaped to catch the large variety of animals
that live at different depths below the surface. They often only
rest when the tide is high and therefore can feed at night. Those
that feed by sight on the other hand look for prey on or very near
the surface and are usually most active at night at times of a full
moon.
 |
The Oystercatcher, one of
the easiest waders to identify |
Waders
have developed beaks of different sizes and shapes to take full
advantage of many types of food that they hunt in mud, sand and
earth.
The
Curlew has a very long curved beak for extracting worms from deep
in the ground while Dunlin have relatively short beaks for taking
food on or near the surface. This diversity of beak size and shape
allows more species of wader to use the same piece of ground
because they are all hunting prey at different levels in that
ground. Different species therefore avoid competing for the same
type of food. Almost all are opportunists and will eat a variety of
food types when available.
All images and text © Jim Wilson 2001.
|
