Abstract
Between two and three thousand oystercatchers, Haematopus ostralegus, feed on the Exe estuary, South Devon, between August and March and most are adults. A few hundred immatures are present in summer when the adults are breeding in northern Britain, Norway and Holland. Most adults on the Exe specialise in feeding on mussels whereas many immatures concentrate on other prey (Goss-Custard et al., 1980). Accordingly, few oystercatchers eat mussels between March and August but, thereafter, there is a rapid increase in the numbers doing so as the adults return.
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References
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© 1981 Plenum Press, New York
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Goss-Custard, J.D., Le V dit Durell, S.E.A., McGrorty, S., Reading, C.J., Clarke, R.T. (1981). Factors Affecting the Occupation of Mussel (Mytilus Edulis) Beds by Oystercatchers (Haematopus Ostralegus) on the Exe Estuary, Devon. In: Jones, N.V., Wolff, W.J. (eds) Feeding and Survival Srategies of Estuarine Organisms. Marine Science, vol 15. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3318-0_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3318-0_17
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