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Artificial Wader Nests Had Lower Survival and Different Predators Than Natural Nests in Estonia

Common Ringed Plover beside four eggs in a ground nest
Research · Other research

Artificial nests had lower survival and attracted a different predator community than natural wader nests in Estonian coastal grasslands. The study compared 77 artificial ground nests containing four domestic-quail eggs with 182 natural nests of northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) and common ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula) over two breeding seasons.

The artificial nests were intended to mimic open wader nests while allowing researchers to control when and where nests were placed. Camera traps were used at 33 artificial and 34 natural nests to identify predators.

Artificial nests had lower survival in both study years

Natural nests had higher daily survival than artificial nests in both 2020 and 2023, although the size of the difference varied between years. When the daily rates were projected across a 27-day laying-and-incubation period, estimated survival was 4% for artificial nests versus 10% for natural nests in 2020, and 1% versus 26% in 2023.

The two natural species themselves had similar average daily survival, so the main contrast was between artificial and real nests rather than between lapwing and ringed plover.

One methodological complication was nest age. Artificial nests entered the study at age zero, whereas natural nests were discovered at different stages. Older natural nests appeared to have higher daily survival when laying and incubation were analysed together, but the age effect disappeared when only incubation was considered. The authors therefore treat nest age as a possible source of bias, not as an explanation that removes the artificial-versus-natural difference.

Bird predators were much more prominent at artificial nests

Camera traps recorded 31 predation events at artificial nests and 28 at natural nests. Birds accounted for 42% of the identified predation at artificial nests but only 11% at natural nests. Hooded crows and common gulls were recorded taking artificial nests but not natural ones.

Natural nests were dominated more strongly by mammalian predation. Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) was the most frequently identified predator, recorded in ten events, followed by golden jackal in four and Eurasian badger and common raven in two each. Ten additional natural-nest events could not be assigned to a predator.

A real incubating bird changes the predation problem

Several differences can make artificial nests behave unlike real ones. Domestic-quail eggs differ in size and appearance from wader eggs, subtle placement differences can change visibility, and artificial nests have no attending adult.

That missing adult can matter in opposite ways. A bird sitting on a nest may help a predator locate it, but an adult can also conceal the eggs or actively defend the nest. Northern lapwings often chase avian predators, whereas ringed plovers rely more on remaining inconspicuous. Artificial nests reproduce neither strategy.

The authors conclude that artificial nests should not be treated as reliable substitutes for natural wader nests in wet coastal grasslands when estimating nest survival or identifying important predators. In particular, relying on artificial nests alone could exaggerate the apparent importance of avian nest predators and lead to misleading ecological or predator-management conclusions.

Sources and image credit

  1. Kaasiku, T., Carneiro, C., Adojaan, A., & Rannap, R. (2026). Are artificial nests suitable to study wader nest predation? A case study on wet grasslands. Bird Study, 73(3), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2026.2686876Primary open-access research article published online 24 June 2026. The study compared 77 artificial nests with 182 natural nests in Estonian coastal grasslands; the natural nests comprised 137 northern lapwing and 45 common ringed plover nests. Natural nests had higher daily survival, while avian predators accounted for a larger share of predation at artificial nests. Average daily survival of the two natural-nesting species was similar, with overlapping confidence intervals. The authors conclude that artificial nests were not reliable substitutes for natural nests for estimating survival or predator identity in this system.

Image: Common Ringed Plover beside four eggs in a ground nest. Photo: Arnoldius / Wikimedia Commons. Representative image for this story; not presented as an animal or scene from the reported study or event. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus Explore species Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Explore species Red Fox Vulpes vulpes Explore species

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