THE URBANIZATION OF THE HAWAIIAN STILT (HIMANTOPUS MEXICANUS KNUDSENI): MEETING THE NEW NEIGHBORS

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2020-08

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The Hawaiian stilt, or Ae’o, is an endangered waterbird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Loss of suitable wetland habitats due to anthropogenic development is a leading cause for decline, as well as the introduction of non-native predators and invasive wetland plants. While other Hawaiian waterbirds are largely restricted to wetlands, Hawaiian stilts appear to be adapting to the urban environment, using heavily modified upland habitats. In my thesis study, I fitted four Hawaiian stilts with GPS satellite tags to document their use of developed areas, undeveloped fields, sports fields and wetland habitats over a 6-month period. I found a high use of non-wetland habitat, with significant differences in habitat occupancy among the individual stilts and across different times of day. Wetlands were the dominant habitat occupied from morning to early afternoon, but non-wetland habitats were occupied in higher frequency in the evening and early morning hours. The use of habitats outside wetlands implies management strategies may need to be updated to encompass these additional habitats.

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Conservation biology, Wildlife conservation, GPS satellite tracking, Habitat occurance, Hawaiian stilt, Oahu, Urban habitat, wetlands

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25 pages

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