Prey selection by parents and chicks of the Little Tern Sterna albifrons.
BOGLIANI G., FASOLA M., CANOVA L. and SAINO N.Abstract:
The diet of Little Tern chicks was studied in order to analyze the prey choice of a species that carries single, unbroken prey to its nest. Chicks less than 5 days old were fed with thinner fish than chicks older than IO days. The average prey size was smaller for younger chicks. Prey left uneaten by chicks included larger, bulkier fish, shrimps and potentially poisonous fish. The parents select prey according to the chicks' ability to swallow, and a further selection is accomplished by the chicks themselves.