AN INDIVIDUAL-ORIENTED MODEL OF A WADING BIRD NESTING COLONY

An individual-oriented model for a colony of nesting wading birds duri ng a breeding season is described. The birds in the colony are modeled as an assemblage of individuals. Their behaviors, such as foraging, b ioenergetics, interactions with conspecifics, and reproduction, as wel l as spatial movements, are modeled separately for each bird. The indi vidual behavior of each bird is described by decision rules which spec ify what particular action the bird performs at any given time. The pa per gives an overview of the most important behavioral rules used in t he model and also briefly describes how the physical and resource envi ronments are taken into account. Simulations of a breeding colony of w ood storks (Mycteria americana) in a heterogeneous landscape and under a variety of environmental conditions (e.g., changes in standing wate r level and prey concentration through the breeding season) illustrate their effect on reproductive success of individuals in the colony.