Nest Survival and Productivity of Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus) at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama, USA

Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus) are a species of conservation concern in Alabama, U.S.A., where the breeding population is small and restricted to just a few sites. Despite their listing, little research has been conducted on this species in the state. Snowy Plover nests (n = 119) were monitored at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge during 2015–2020. Just over half (53%) of all nests successfully hatched one or more chicks. Daily survival rates of Snowy Plover nests were estimated at the refuge using several temporal and environmental covariates. Constant daily survival rate was estimated at 0.97 (SE = 0.004, 95% CI = 0.97–0.98) and the probability of a nest surviving the 32-day incubation period was 0.42 (95% CI = 0.33–0.52). The top model in the nest survival analysis included year and site. This study is important in furthering our understanding of Snowy Plover populations in Alabama and can be used as a baseline for future analyses of nest survival.