Behavior of Migrant Kentish Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) in the Ramsar Wetland of Yubu Island

The research in this study has been conducted on a daily basis from March 14 to April 2, 2013 in order to investigate, according to their habitats, the behaviors of Kentish Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus), which breed and stop over in the Ramsar Wetland of Yubu Island in Janghang-eup, Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do. The sex of each individual bird was determined and the frequency of behaviors in the observed site was investigated. As a result, the size of the male population was about 2 times that of the female population and the number of the male population was also significantly dominant. The daily maximum number of individual birds were 174 on March 16th. The biggest difference between the male and female population sizes appeared on March 15th, having many male birds. The next day, March 16th, the largest number of female birds during the research period arrived. In terms of behaviors of male birds in salt farms and sand dunes, the stop behavior accounts for over 50 percent and feeding accounts for less 10 percent of their behaviors while, in mud flats, the stop behavior accounts for less 40 percent and feeding accounts for about 30 percent of their behaviors. The female birds also had a similar pattern of behaviors with male birds, but the frequency of their flight was significantly low compared to that of male birds. In terms of diurnal behaviors, birds fed in the morning and took a the stop behavior in the evening. After migration, the frequency of the stop behavior declined while the frequency of walking and feeding significantly increased. In this way, Kentish Plovers dominantly took the stop and feeding behaviors at the stopover site, Yubu Island, and this is believed to result from the fact that they replenish the energy sources that consumed during their migrations. Further continuous research will contribute to the providing fundamental data to protect and manage the birds and their habitats located in the major wetlands in South Korea.