Year-to-year variation in clutch size and breeding success of the Little Egret, Egretta garzetta Linnaeus, 1766, in Turkey

Abstract

Clutch size and breeding success in Little Egrets Egretta garzetta nesting colonially at Lake Poyrazlar, northwest Turkey, were monitored between 2002 and 2005. The mean clutch size in the Little Egret was 3.17 (n = 100) and during four successive years it varied from 2.76 to 3.36. The annual variations were, however, not statistically significant. The hatching Success was high and varied annually from 84.1% to 97.4%, while fledging success varied from 74.3% to 88.5%, but these variations were not statistically significant. Nesting success varied from 92 to 100%. Hatching success was not correlated with clutch size, while fledging and reproductive success was much higher in smaller (2-3 eggs) than in larger (4-5 eggs) clutches.