Changements récents dans le régime alimentaire des poussins de cigogne blanche Ciconia ciconia en Charente-Maritime (centre-ouest, France)

Christophe Barbraud (1) , Jean-Claude Barbraud (2) , Barbraud Monique , Karine Delord (1)

1 CEBC - Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé
2 4 impasse du Vignaud

We present data on the diet of chicks of White Storks Ciconia ciconia breeding in the Brouage marshes (Charente-Maritime, France) during the breeding seasons of 1999 and 2000, and compare these data with those obtained from the same area in 1997. Vertebrates (rodents) appeared in very low proportion (1.6% by number) compared to invertebrates (98.4%). Chicks fed mostly on insects, mainly coleoptera (Hydrous sp. and Dytiscus sp.) and orthoptera (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa). There was a remarkable increase in the proportion (by number) of introduced crayfish (Procambarus clarkii and Oronectes limosus) from 0% in 1997 to 17.3% in 1999-2000 (P < 0.001), and a slight decrease in the proportion of insects, particularly orthoptera (P < 0.001). Skin, bill and legs pigmentation was intensely orange in chicks that consumed crayfish compared to chicks that did not consumed crayfish, and compared to chicks that were studied before the appearance of crayfish in the diet.

Domaines: Biodiversité et Ecologie

Christophe Barbraud, Jean-Claude Barbraud, Barbraud Monique, Karine Delord. Changements récents dans le régime alimentaire des poussins de cigogne blanche Ciconia ciconia en Charente-Maritime (centre-ouest, France). Alauda, 2002. ⟨hal-01312421⟩