The birds of Pasvik / E. I. Khlebosolov, O. A. Makarova, O. A. Khlebosolova [et al. ; English transl. Nikita Chernetsov]. - Ryazan : Golosgubernii, 2007. - 175 с. : ил., портр.

Figure 2.11. Spatial distribution o f waders which inhabit the zonal low land tundra. C .m . — Little Stint, C.a. - Dunlin, Ph.p. —Ruff, Ph.l. - R ed-necked Phalarope. the Red-necked Phalarope, D unlin, Little Stint, Ruff. O f th em , only the Ruff reg­ ularly breeds in river marshes (Fig. 2.11). The Red-necked Phalarope differs from the o th e r th ree species because it breeds on the shores o f different tund ra lakes. It forages sw imm ing o r running along the very shoreline. The bird usually picks small invertebrates from th e water surface or catches them by dipping its head into the water. Dunlins, Little Stints and Ruffs, like o th er stints, forage by probing the surface layers o f peat, silt, or sand with their bills. Each species seems to have its specific methods o f prey search and foraging that govern th eir habitat use. The Dunlin inhabits wet moss and sedge mires or co tton grass and sedge humm ock bogs with well developed vegetation covers, mainly grasses, near lakes and small pools. The Little Stint prefers lichen and moss or subshrub, sedge and moss tu n d ra near the lakes. The Ruff occurs in wet sedge and grass humm ock bogs in the tundra. Ecological groups of gulls and terns All gulls and terns use a comm on hunting m ethod: they look for prey from the air during long patrolling flights over water and land. When they see prey, they swoop and catch it with their bill. Their diet is very diverse, foraging techn iques are variable. These birds are well adapted to handle large prey, in p articu lar to gulp pieces o f food disproportionally large as related to the size o f the bird (Yudin 1965). Gulls (Laridae) posses a large array o f m ethods o f searching for prey and fo r­ aging. When hunting over water, they can dive after swooping, but do not dive deep. When a gull sees something edible on the ground, it usually sits on the ground and follows the prey on feet. If the prey is large and imm obile, the gull starts to pick it (Yudin 1965). 102