Do the Height and Location of Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) Nests Affect Egg Production and Breeding Success?

Abstract

Changes in clutch size and fledging success associated with the height and distance from shore of nests were investigated in a colony of Black-crowned Night Heron at Poyrazlar Lake, Turkey. A total of 100 nests in five plots were surveyed in 2007. Nest height varied between 45-300 cm, with a tendency to be lower further from shore. Clutch size appeared independent of nest location and variable, with 37% of nests with two eggs, 32% with three eggs, 22% with four eggs and 9% with five eggs. Fledging success was approximately 67% for plot 1, nearest to shore, but increased up to 94% for plot 5, furthest from shore.