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Shorebirds 401

35

30

25

Weight (g) 20

15

10

5

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40
Days of age
Figure­24.4­ Average weight gain of Western Snowy Plover chicks.

450
400

350

300
Weight (g) 250

200
150

100
50

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Days of age

Figure­24.5­ Average weight gain of American Avocet chicks.
Figures 24.4 and 24.5 (data courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium) for examples of weight gain in
different species.

­ Housing

It is important to limit human contact to prevent stress and habituation to people. Whenever pos-
sible, raise chicks with conspecifics of similar size. This may mean sending the chick to, or getting
a chick from, another rehabilitator. If you are unable to match a chick with a conspecific, try