The effect of egg coloration on predation of artificial ground nests

Abstract

Effects of egg coloration on predation of artificial ground nests in upland habitat adjacent to a cattail marsh were explored by deploying nests containing either a brown or a white chicken egg. Predation rates were similar on the two nest types after 13 days of exposure. Nest concealment (vegetation height, overhead concealment, vegetation density) did not differ between surviving and destroyed nests. Our results suggest that coloration of eggs did not affect the outcome of our predation experiment using artificial ground nests.