The diet of Green SandpipersTringa ochropus incontrasting areas of their winter range

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Abstract
The diet of wintering Green Sandpipers was assessed from faeces and regurgitates in contrasting sites in south Wales, Morocco and Ethiopia. A wide range of prey was taken with differences reflecting habitats in which the birds were feeding. Along rivers (Wales and Ethiopia), mayfly nymphs and caddis larvae were eaten; Gammarus was eaten predominantly in estuarine pools (Wales) and a calcareous channel (Morocco); culicid mosquito larvae were taken from a sewage lagoon (Ethiopia) and annelid worms were eaten in estuarine channels (Wales: Nereis) or irrigation pools (Lumbricidael umbriculidae: Morocco). Prey-size varied widely from 0.25 mg dipteran fly larvae to 165 mg Nereis. Sandpipers sometimes ate significantly larger prey than were actually present, although we could not determine whether this reflected passive or active selection by the birds.