Vol. 48 No. 5, 2009

Nest Site Characteristics and Reproductive Parameters of Grey Herons Ardea cinerea in Korea

Jungsoo Kim and Tae-Hoe Koo*

Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, 446-701, South Korea

Jungsoo Kim and Tae-Hoe Koo (2009)  We studied the breeding ecology of Grey Herons Ardea cinerea in 3 mixed-species heronries in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, Korea during 2000 and 2001.  Nest site characteristics such as the height and distance of Grey Heron nests from the tree trunk did not differ when nesting alone or in combination with other heron and egret species.  The mean clutch size, initial brood size, and final brood size did not significantly differ between years.  The initial brood size significantly differed among clutch sizes in 2001 (ANOVA, p < 0.01).  The final brood size differed among clutch sizes in both years (ANOVA, p < 0.01).  Comparing the final brood size per nest, clutch size had a significant effect on the initial brood size in 2001 and final brood sizes in 2000 and 2001, but the initial brood size had no effect on the final brood size in either year.  Clutch size, initial brood size, and final brood size were within the ranges reported by other studies.  Mass and culmen-length growth rates of Grey Heron chicks did not differ between years, but wing and tarsuslength growth rates differed between years.

Key words: Grey Herons, Nest site characteristics, Clutch size, Initial and final brood sizes, Growth rate.

*Correspondence: E-mail:thkoo@khu.ac.kr