Habitat Use by Non-breeding Shorebirds in Flooding Pampas Grasslands of Argentina

Abstract We identified environmental variables and grassland characteristics that affect the use of natural grasslands by four migratory shorebird species (Patagonian: Rufous-chested Dotterel (Charadrius modestus) and Tawny-throated Dotterel (Oreopholus ruficollis); Nearctic: American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica) and Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis)) during the non-breeding season in the flooding pampa region of Argentina. Birds were recorded using fixed-radius point count method, every 15 days between April 1999 and January 2000. A stepwise forward logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between the presence of shorebirds and grassland characteristics and environmental variables. All species correlated positively with the variable “previous use” suggesting strong site fidelity within years to a wintering site. All species correlated negatively with the percentage of high grass cover, and the American Golden Plover and Buff-breasted Sandpiper both correlated negativ...