Colonially nesting species such as Laughing Gulls often exceed 120,000 individuals, mostly in New Jersey and Virginia, where colonies sometimes reach 5000 individuals. Norway rats, all major predators on bird nests. In some areas, foxes and raccoons have expanded in the past decade. These habitats are important feeding habitats for wading birds, about 20 species of migrating shorebirds, and dabbling ducks such as Mallards and Black Ducks. Therefore, losses of nesting habitat for the ducks and some colonial species may be partially compensated for in some species by increases in feeding habitats.
Bars having two colors indicate the range if more than one study was reported.
Estimates of breeding populations of key marsh-nesting colonial waterbirds at risk from habitat loss due to coastal sea level rise, from New Jersey to Virginia. Table 3 . Estimates of breeding densities of cryptic marsh birds in mid-Atlantic coastal marshes, New Jersey to Virginia. Under this second scenario, the marsh changes are gradual through time, reflecting the ca. 2 mm per year differential between sea level rise and marsh accretion rates.