An endangered bird’s recovery in Michigan could be derailed by the resurgence of its natural predator, another threatened species.
Researchers from Michigan State University say the endangered piping plover has steadily recovered since 1990 when there were as few as 12 mating pairs left in the Great Lakes region. Today there are roughly 75 pairs.
Sarah Saunders is the lead author of the study. She said another bird recovery, the threatened Merlin, could put a stop to that trajectory.
“One of their primary predators, Merlins, is expected to increase their abundance in the region in the next ten years.”
Saunders said predictive modeling shows plover populations could dip to 67 pairs by 2026 if something isn’t done.
“But if we did not include that aspect in the modeling, the latent abundance of Merlins in the region, our model predicted that plovers would actually increase to 91 pairs on average by 2026.”
Saunders said protective measures should be used around nesting sites to keep plover safe.
“There are definitely some sites that don’t currently have any predator control measures.”
Saunders said putting protective cages over nests or using predator controls around nesting sites will be important in keeping plovers safe.
She said Michigan is still far from the federal recovery goal of 150 piping plover pairs.