Feeding behavior of four beach bird species (Charadriiformes : Scolopacidae) in Chametla, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Feeding behaviour of four species for large shorebirds (Scolopacidae) was s tudied in a tidal mudflat, Chametla, Mexico, to determine the foraging effi ciency of Limosa fedoa, Numenius phaeopus, Numenius americanus and Catoptro phorus semipalmatus in a stopover/wintering area; and their activity with t he ride cicle. The study area was visited in the winter of 1993 during the daylight hours. Each species was observed for 15 min during each tide type. The tide type does not affect the frequency with which the species use the different foraging strategies. In general, probing was more efficient than pecking. Considering distribution and prey, L. fedoa had the highest effic iency with this feeding strategy. Both species of Numenius were more effici ent with pecking than other species. C. semipalmatus has the highest effici ency because it is an oportunistic species, L. fedoa is generalistic, both Numenius are especialists and C. semipalmatus is oportunistic.