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SHORE BIRD CONNECTION Horseshoe crabs play an important ecological role in the food web for migrating shorebirds. The Delaware Bay is the second largest staging area for shorebirds in North America. Along the Atlantic Flyway, an estimated 1 million migratory shorebirds converge in the Delaware-Chesapeake region at the peak of horseshoe crab mating in mid-May and June. |
 Red Knott (back) Ruddy Turnstone (foreground) |
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These migratory birds rely on horseshoe crab eggs to replenish their fat supply during their long journey to Canadian breeding grounds. Because these areas are regularly used by
large numbers of shorebirds at specific times of the year, they are particularly vulnerable to disruption. The collection of horseshoe crabs by hand from spawning beaches disturbs the
feeding of shorebirds. A decrease in the number of horseshoe crabs may leave a large portion of migrating shorebirds without the necessary food resources to complete their trip to
arctic breeding grounds.
Shorebirds that depend on horseshoe crab eggs for food during migration are:
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Updated July 25, 2005 Seagull photo by Al Ivany, NJ Fish Game and Wildlife |