Lesser snow goose nests were monitored daily during laying and hatching. Within each clutch, eggs were numbered serially as they were laid. Subsequently, the order of hatching within clutches was determined. In nests where three to five eggs hatched, the sequence of hatching was strongly dependent on the laying sequence. This implies that some development of embryos occurred throughout the laying period, so that the young varied in the stage of development attained prior to the onset of incubation. This inequality persisted until hatching, resulting in the observed asynchrony. Evidence from other workers suggests that development during laying occurs in some other waterfowl species, but does not necessarily result in asynchronous hatching or correlation of hatching and laying sequences.
Influenza A virus surveillance, infection and antibody persistence in snow geese (
Anser caerulescens
)