Chapter 14 

 Waterbirds 



Authors: Norman Famous, Craig Ferris 



Waterbirds include seabirds, shorebirds, wading birds, and waterfowl and with 

 the exception of waterfowl, which are discussed in chapter 15, waterbirds 

 found along the Maine coast are described in this chapter. Approximately 100 

 species of waterbirds breed, migrate, or winter along the Maine coast. The 

 diversity of waterbirds is related to the variety of waterbird habitats found 

 along the coast, including breeding habitats (coastal islands, lakes, and 

 wetlands), migrating habitats (intertidal mudflats and salt marshes, deepwater 

 tidal rips, protected bays, and highly productive offshore waters), and 

 wintering habitats (ice free estuarine and marine waters and rocky shores). 



Waterbirds are an important and conspicuous component of the coastal 

 ecosystem. They are valued mostly for recreation, including waterfowl hunting 

 (common eider), bird watching, and nature study. They are high level 

 consumers in the food webs, and are prone to accumulate toxic substances from 

 their prey that may interfere with reproduction or cause death. People 

 indirectly harm waterbirds by altering the amount and quality of their 

 habitats (i.e., by dredging and filling land, impounding waters, channelizing 

 streams, and developing islands). Directly, waterbirds are killed by hunters, 

 poisoning, or by accident. 



The purpose of this chapter is to describe the ecological relationships of 

 waterbirds within the ecosystem of the Maine coast, to summarize the 

 population status of each waterbird group, and to discuss the effects of 

 people on waterbirds and provide information to help mitigate these effects. 



Where information is available, the discussion of each group will contain the 

 present status of breeding, wintering, and migrating populations, historical 

 summaries, food and feeding habits, major feeding, roosting, or breeding 

 locations in each region, and factors affecting distribution and abundance. 

 Reviews of human impacts on waterbirds, the importance of waterbirds to 

 society, and management considerations follow the discussion of the waterbird 

 groups, and data gaps and research needs are described. Common names of 



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10-80 



