Effects of human activity on the behaviour of northern New Zealand dotterel Charadrius obscurus aquilonius chicks Original Research Article

Human disturbance is one of the factors that may contribute to low breeding success in the endangered New Zealand dotterel Charadrius obscurus aquilonius. This study examined how foraging and related behaviours of northern New Zealand dotterel chicks were affected by human presence. Chicks were observed both in the presence, and in the controlled absence, of people. Results showed that, when people were present, chicks spent less of their feeding time in the littoral zone, and more in the supralittoral zone, and in general spent less time feeding when people were present. These data suggest that the littoral zone may be more desirable for foraging than is the supralittoral zone, and that high levels of human disturbance may infer energetic constraints on New Zealand dotterel chicks. Fledging success of chicks may be enhanced if human access to feeding areas adjacent to breeding sites is reduced during the chick-rearing phase of the breeding season.