Replacement Clutches by Kentish Plovers

We examined factors affecting renesting rates in a population of Kentish Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) in southern Spain over six breeding seasons. We show that renesting was mainly constrained by time, and not by female body condition. Renesting partially compensated for initial clutch losses. The interval from loss of the first clutch to initiation of the replacement clutch was not affected by the number of days of incubation preceding nest loss. Renesting plovers moved considerable distances from first nests. Distances moved between nesting attempts by pairs that had lost chicks were similar to those of pairs that lost eggs. Nest cover did not differ between first and second nests when the first nest was successful, but it was greater in second nests when the first nest was unsuccessful. Yet, nest cover had no influence on the fate of such replacement clutches, probably due to a high diversity of predators at our study site. Females that laid replacement clutches did not delay breeding or breed less frequently in years after they had laid replacement clutches. Even when the success of replacement clutches is moderate, this breeding strategy may be important in accounting for individual lifetime productivity, especially when nest predation is high, as in the studied population.