Salt Water Tolerance and Water Turnover in the Snowy Plover

Abstract

Abstract A series of water-related experiments showed that Snowy Plovers do not have any outstanding physiological capabilities for dealing with the potential thermal and osmotic stresses of the Great Salt Plains, Oklahoma. Snowy Plovers and Semipalmated Sandpipers failed to maintain body weight when given 0.3 M NaCl ad libitum. Killdeer did even more poorly by rapidly losing weight on 0.2 M. These salt water tolerance values are limited when compared to other, particularly marine, birds that can drink full strength sea water. The Snowy Plover is no better at conserving water than other birds in its weight class. So plovers without drinking water were able to maintain their weight when furnished mealworm larvae ad libitum, the insectivorous diet as well as maintenance behavior of the birds is essential for their survival on the salt flats.