Postfledging parental care in the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey G. Kopachena ◽  
J. Bruce Falls
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Zonotrichia Albicollis ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Nestling Period

We studied parental care in White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) during the last 4 days of the nestling period and the first 4 days of the fledgling period. Both parents made more provisioning trips and delivered more food to fledglings than to nestlings. Though male and female parents provided nestlings with equal amounts of food, female parents provided fledglings with more food than did male parents. Fledglings received fewer items per trip than did nestlings. This suggests that fledging was associated with a change in parental foraging strategies. Postfledging parental care did not differ between broods from late nests and broods that were to be followed by a second nesting attempt.

Fledgling care and male parental effort in the Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina)

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 576-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley J. Evans Ogden ◽  
Bridget J. M. Stutchbury
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Parental Effort ◽  
Feeding Rates ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Wilsonia Citrina ◽  
Parental Feeding ◽  
Nestling Period ◽  
Brood Division ◽  
Hooded Warblers ◽  
Care Period

We followed family groups of Hooded Warblers (Wilsonia citrina) from hatching through to fledgling independence to determine (i) the duration and extent of parental care of fledglings, (ii) the extent of brood division, and (iii) whether male parental effort in caring for nestlings predicts male effort in caring for fledglings. The 9-day nestling period of Hooded Warblers was followed by 4 – 6 weeks of further parental care of fledged young. Parental feeding rates increased from hatching to when the young fledged from the nest, and males fed nestlings significantly more than females did. At the fledgling stage feeding rates to fledglings were significantly higher than at the nestling stage, but there was no difference in feeding rates between the parents. Parents usually divided the brood of fledglings equally, so that each parent assumed full and exclusive care of a subset of the brood. However, many females (45%) initiated a second brood and the male assumed care of the entire first brood at the time when his mate began incubating. The proportion of feeding trips to nestlings made by the male was not predictive of his subsequent effort in the care of fledglings. Exclusion of the fledgling care period in studies of parental investment may give a biased picture of overall investment on the part of both male and female parents.

Energy Expenditure in Reproductive Effort of Male and Female Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

The Auk ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne H. Brunton
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Mating Effort ◽  
Parental Effort ◽  
Nest Failure ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Charadrius Vociferus

Abstract The reproductive investment strategies of the sexes during the breeding season are detailed for Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), a monogamous plover. I measured the energy investments of the sexes in reproductive, mating, and parental effort. As predicted, males expend more mating effort than females; however, the sexes expend equal amounts of parental effort. Total energy expenditure in reproductive effort (mating and parental effort) during a successful nesting attempt was also equal for the sexes. However, early parental effort expenditures by females, early mating effort expenditures by males, and high rates of nest failure combine to result in female reproductive energy expenditures being significantly higher over the breeding season. This suggests that energy expenditure alone is not adequate for accurate comparisons of the relative investments of the sexes. Studies investigating male and female investments need to consider the degree and pattern of nest failures along with patterns of energy expenditure. The advantages to male and female Killdeer of sharing parental care is demonstrated using adult removal experiments. In general, a deserted parent expends more energy in parental effort than a bi-parental parent and has significantly lower reproductive success. However, males are able to hatch chicks, whereas females lose or abandon their nests within a few days of mate removal. Thus, monogamy in Killdeer appears to result from high nest failure rates, the necessity of two parents for any reproductive success, and the generalizable nature of Killdeer parental care.

scholarly journals Breeding Biology of Gray-Crowned Tyrannulet in the Monte Desert, Argentina

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo T. Mezquida ◽  
Luis Marone
Keyword(s):  
Incubation Period ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Nest Failure ◽  
East Central ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Monte Desert ◽  
Present Information ◽  
Nestling Period ◽  
Wet Tropics

Abstract We present information from 75 nests of Gray-crowned Tyrannulet (Serpophaga griseiceps) found in open Prosopis woodlands of the central Monte desert between 1995 and 1997 and compare it with information corresponding to other species of the genus. Breeding occurred from October to January. Nests are small open cups. Both parents participated in nest building, which lasted 4–7 days. In the Prosopis woodland, 98% of the nests were built in chañar (Geoffroea decorticans), which also is commonly used as a nest plant by S. subcristata in east-central Argentina. Mean clutch size did not vary among years nor within the breeding season, and it was similar to that observed in other Serpophaga. Both male and female shared the 13–15 day incubation period. Hatching was asynchronous. Nestling period lasted 13–14 days, during which both parents reared the chicks. Nesting success (26%) appeared to be less than that previously reported for Nearctic open-nesters (50–60%), and Neotropical open-nesters in dry (50%) and wet tropics (35%). Egg and nestling predation were the main cause of nest failure.

Parental Care and Polygyny in the Chiffchaff Phylloscopus Collybita

Behaviour ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (13-14) ◽  
pp. 1077-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Rodrigues
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Threshold Model ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Nestling Period

AbstractThe males of most bird species help to raise the young, and females may suffer costs from polygyny because of having to share the male parental care. In the chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) nests of monogamously and polygynously mated females had similar success in relation to the proportion of fledged young. Overall, male chiffchaffs provided little assistance to females during the nestling period, but they increased help when the young left the nest. Females who choose already-paired males (secondary females) incurred lower reproductive success, because they were unable to start a second brood after raising their first brood. Primary and monogamous females which received male help in the form of food provisioning during the fledgling period were more likely to attempt a second brood. This is the first study that reports associated costs to secondary females due to the lack of paternal aid after the young have fledged the nest. However, secondary females still can obtain compensatory benefits, as predicted by the polygyny threshold model, since most of them settled in good quality habitats, close to the primary females.

Parental Care in Burying Beetles: The Organization of Male and Female Brood-care Behavior

Ethology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle A. Fetherston ◽  
Michelle Pellissier Scott ◽  
James F. A. Traniello
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Brood Care ◽  
Burying Beetles ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Brood ◽  
Care Behavior

Group structure in wood bison: nutritional and reproductive determinants

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 1367-1371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr E. Komers ◽  
François Messier ◽  
Cormack C. Gates
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Group Structure ◽  
Dilution Effect ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Wood Bison ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Mixed Groups ◽  
Male To Female

Sexual segregation in ungulates has been documented for many species including bison. However, male and female bison do not differ in their pattern of habitat selection. In the present study we observed that a fraction of bison groups did not have young (<2 years) despite the presence of males and females. The male to female ratio in these groups was 2.4. We call them adult groups, in contrast to mixed groups, where young were present and the male to female ratio was 0.4. The proportion of cows with young (mothers) in a group was negatively correlated with the male to female ratio, suggesting that mothers associated more often with other cows than with bulls. Before the rut, cows without young (non-mothers) spent less time feeding than either mothers or bulls. However, mothers and non-mothers did not differ in the number of steps per minute they took while grazing, and both types of cows stepped faster than bulls. We suggest that cows feed more selectively than bulls and that the differing foraging strategies result in temporal but not spatial segregation of the sexes. Possibly as a result of similar nutritional demands, mothers tended to aggregate, forming nursery groups. We suggest that the formation of nursery groups can also serve to protect calves through a dilution effect of predation. Whether mothers actually prefer to associate with other mothers remains to be investigated.

Parasite populations in the brown ratRattus norvegicusfrom Doha, Qatar between years: the effect of host age, sex and density

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Abu-Madi ◽  
J.M. Behnke ◽  
M. Mikhail ◽  
J.W. Lewis ◽  
M.L. Al-Kaabi
Keyword(s):  
Parasite Species ◽  
Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Host Age ◽  
Adult Rats ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Parasite Populations ◽  
Age And Sex

AbstractA total of 179 urban rats were sampled in the city of Doha in Qatar across the winter seasons (February–April) of 2002 and 2003. Only two parasites were identified, with overall prevalences of 35.8% and 41.3% for the cestodeHymenolepis diminutaand the fleaXenopsylla astiarespectively. The prevalence ofH. diminutawas markedly influenced by both year of study and host age, being higher in 2003 and amongst older rats. The abundance of infection ofH. diminutawas influenced by the year of study, host age and sex. Worm burdens in adult rats were almost twice as heavy in males compared with females and adults of both sexes harboured heavier infections than juveniles. The prevalence ofX. astiawas influenced by both year and host age, being higher in juvenile rats in 2002 and in adults in 2003. The abundance ofX. astiawas significantly higher in 2003 and both male and female rats showed similar abundances, but in 2003 females were more heavily infested. Reasons for this are discussed in relation to the differing foraging strategies shown by male and female rats. The prevalence and abundance profiles for bothH. diminutaandX. astiawere higher overall in 2003 due to a significant increase in the rat population density, although this did not reflect in any increase in parasite species richness. Rats that were infected withH. diminutawere almost twice as likely to be infected withX. astiathan those without the cestode, but when controlled for the effects of year, host age and sex, no quantitative interactions were detected between the two parasite species.

scholarly journals Male Barn Swallows Tolerate Nestling-Like Courtship Calls of Rival Males

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaru Hasegawa
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Male Courtship ◽  
Courtship Display ◽  
Barn Swallow ◽  
Sensory Bias ◽  
Nestling Period ◽  
Sensory Trap ◽  
Female Attraction ◽  
Barn Swallows ◽  
Male Signals

Animals often exhibit conspicuous, and sometimes curious, courtship traits, such as nestling-like courtship display in birds, though modern studies of nestling-like courtship display (and calls) are virtually lacking. An exception is previous experiments on the barn swallow Hirundo rustica, demonstrating that females are equally attracted to playback of two structurally similar calls, nestling-like male courtship calls and nestling food-begging calls. The experiments support the sensory trap hypothesis, i.e., that male signals mimic nestling stimuli to exploit female parental care for nestlings. However, female attraction might not be the sole function of nestling-like traits, and males might also have a sensory bias toward nestling-like traits, in which males would be less aggressive toward characteristics typical of immature individuals. Here, I conducted playback experiments to study the function of nestling-like male courtship calls in the context of male–male interactions. Playback of male courtship songs induced frequent approaches by neighbouring males, while nestling-like male courtship calls or nestling food-begging calls induced fewer approaches, though male responses to the latter two vocalisations increased when approaching the nestling period. The observed pattern indicates that, by mimicking immature individuals, males attract intended signal receivers (i.e., females) while avoiding interference from eavesdroppers (i.e., neighbouring males). This unique function can explain why species with parental care exhibit immature-like behaviour.

ALTERNATIVE FORAGING STRATEGIES AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION BY MALE AND FEMALE WANDERING ALBATROSSES

Ecology ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 2051-2063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henri Weimerskirch ◽  
Yves Cherel ◽  
Franck Cuenot-Chaillet ◽  
Vincent Ridoux
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Male And Female
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