Re: Herbivore protection

[Stanley Friesen <sarima@ix.netcom.com>]

In a message dated 97-06-01 03:01:35 EDT, jbois@umd5.umd.edu (John Bois)
>writes:
>
>> Can anyone here cite an unequivocal case of a relatively
>>  large nesting species which sites its nests in order to satiate
>>  predators rather than to avoid them?
>
Since you first posted this, i came up with one (though it is now extinct
due to human hunting): the passenger pigeon.  This species nested in about
a dozen mass nesting sites, all in forest clearings in eastern North
America.  As in most pigeons, it incubated the eggs by sitting on them, and
it cared for the young at the nesting site for some time after hatching.
These rookeries were, during the nesting season, massive concentrations of
birds in a single spot.  Given the limited number of nesting sites, each
one had to include birds from an area larger than most eastern states.

Unfortunately for these birds, humans are able to hunt by proxy, thus
defeating the saturation effect.


--------------
May the peace of God be with you.         sarima@ix.netcom.com
                                          sfriesen@netlock.com