The effect of kleptoparasite and host numbers on the risk of food-stealing in an avian assemblage

Kleptoparasitism involves the theft of resources such as food items from one individual by another. Such food-stealing behaviour can have important consequences for birds, in terms of individual fitness and population sizes. In order to understand avian host–kleptoparasite interactions, studies are needed which identify the factors which modulate the risk of kleptoparasitism. In temperate European intertidal areas, Eurasian oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus feed primarily on bivalve molluscs, which may be stolen by kleptoparasitic species such as carrion crows Corvus corone and herring gulls Larus argentatus. In this study we combined overwinter foraging observations of oystercatchers and their kleptoparasites on the Exe Estuary, UK, with statistical modelling to identify the factors that influence the likelihood of successful food stealing behaviour occurring. Across the winter, 16.4% of oystercatcher foraging attempts ended in successful kleptoparasitism; the risk of theft was lowe...