effects of a garbage-supplemented diet on the reproductive success of the White Ibis, Eudocimus albus (L.)

The reproductive success of White Ibises, Eudocimus albus (L.) was studied during the 1988 and 1989 nesting seasons at a wading bird colony in Florida. Evidence suggests that the diets of both adult and nestling Ibises included garbage from a nearby dump. The mean clutch size was 2.5 +- 0.72 in 1988 and 2.6 +- 0.72 in 1989. The probability of a nest surviving to produce at least one 10-day-old nestling was 45.8% and 54.1% for 1988 and 1989, respectively. Success was higher for nests on islands at the periphery of the colony than on islands more centrally located. This resulted from reduced interactions between nesting Ibises and Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) and, reduced egg predation by grackles (Quiscalus spp.) at the periphery of the colony. Both clutch size and reproductive success were within the ranges previously reported for Ibises at other colonies that did not supplement their diets with garbage.