Incubation Behavior and Body Mass of Female Greater Snow Geese

Abstract The many hazards that await birds along their migratory routes may negatively affect their survival, especially among newly fledged young. We estimated survival of young Greater Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens atlantica) during fall migration from the High Arctic to temperate areas and examined factors affecting their survival over a five-year period, using two approaches. First, each year (1993–1997), we banded fledglings and adults in mid-August, just before their departure from Bylot Island in the High Arctic (Nunavut, Canada), and again at an important staging area 3,000 km to the south at the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area (Québec, Canada) in October; recovery data from those two banding periods allowed estimation of survival during fall migration. Second, we visually determined brood size of neck-banded females before and after the main portion of the migratory flight, to estimate survival of young. The two approaches yielded similar survival estimates and showed the same interannual variation, thus suggesting that estimates were reliable. Mortality of young shortly after fledging and during the fall migration was high, compared with that of adults (monthly survival 0.662 in young vs. 0.989 in adults). However, mortality of young after migration was similar to that of adults (monthly survival 0.969 in young vs. 0.972 in adults). Migration survival of young varied considerably among annual cohorts (range of 0.119–0.707 over five years), and most of the mortality appeared to be natural. Survival was especially low in years when (1) temperatures at time of fledging and start of migration were low (i.e. near or below freezing), (2) mean body mass of goslings near fledging was low, or (3) mean fledging date was late. Our results suggest that migration survival of young is affected by a combination of several factors (climatic conditions, body mass, and fledging date) and that survival is reduced when one of those factors intervenes.

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Non‐breeding Cackling, Ross's and Snow Geese on Baffin Island show no loss of body mass during wing moult

Ibis ◽

10.1111/ibi.12392 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 158 (4) ◽

pp. 876-880 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anthony D. Fox ◽

James O. Leafloor ◽

Thorsten J. S. Balsby ◽

Kathryn M. Dickson ◽

Michael A. Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Baffin Island ◽

Snow Geese ◽

Wing Moult

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Are Abdominal Profiles Useful to Assess Body Condition of Spring Staging Greater Snow Geese?

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/107.3.694 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 107 (3) ◽

pp. 694-702 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Matthieu Féret ◽

Joël Bêty ◽

Gilles Gauthier ◽

Jean-François Giroux ◽

Gérald Picard

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Body Condition ◽

Abdominal Fat ◽

Chen Caerulescens ◽

Individual Level ◽

Snow Geese ◽

Profile Score ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Chen Caerulescens Atlantica ◽

The Individual

AbstractAbdominal profile indices were developed to evaluate body condition in birds without capturing or handling them. We assessed the reliability of abdominal profile indices in predicting condition of spring staging Greater Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens atlantica). We first calibrated profile scores assigned to females against two direct measures of nutrient stores, abdominal fat and body mass corrected for body size. Abdominal profile indices were linearly and significantly related to both abdominal fat and body mass but the variance was high for individuals assigned to the same profile score (R2 = 0.08 and R2 = 0.09, respectively, n = 230). On average, an increase of one profile score corresponded to an increase of 100 g in body mass. Abdominal profiles were better predictors of average abdominal fat and body mass of birds assigned to the same profile category. To assess the usefulness of abdominal profiles in the field, we also examined if the technique could detect the negative effect of a spring hunt on nutrient storage by staging geese, an effect previously detected with internal measures of nutrient reserves. We monitored seasonal changes in abdominal profile indices of staging geese in years without (1997 and 1998) and with the spring hunt (1999 and 2000). In two out of three regions, abdominal profiles revealed that condition increased at a higher rate in nonhunting than in hunting years. The lack of a negative effect of hunting in the other region was likely due to variability among observers in abdominal profile scoring. We conclude that abdominal profile indices can be useful to assess body condition of spring staging Greater Snow Geese although the technique has serious limitations at the individual level, especially without proper training of observers.¿Son los Perfiles Abdominales Útiles para Determinar la Condición Corporal de Chen caerulescens atlantica durante Escalas Migratorias de Primavera?Resumen. Los índices de perfil abdominal fueron desarrollados para evaluar la condición corporal de las aves sin tener que capturarlas o manipularlas. En este estudio examinamos la confiabilidad de dichos índices para predecir la condición corporal de gansos Chen caerulescens atlantica durante la época de escalas migratorias de primavera. Inicialmente, calibramos los puntajes de los perfiles asignados a un grupo de hembras con respecto a dos medidas directas de reservas nutritivas, la grasa abdominal y la masa corregida por el tamaño corporal. Los índices de perfil abdominal estuvieron lineal y significativamente relacionados con la grasa abdominal y la masa corporal (R2 = 0.08 y R2 = 0.09, respectivamente, n = 230), pero la varianza entre individuos asignados al mismo puntaje del perfil fue alta. En promedio, un incremento de un punto en el perfil correspondió a un incremento de 100 g en la masa corporal. Los perfiles abdominales predijeron de mejor manera los promedios de grasa abdominal y masa corporal de aves asignadas a la misma categoría del perfil. Para evaluar la utilidad de los perfiles abdominales en el campo, también examinamos si la técnica podía detectar el efecto negativo de la cacería de primavera sobre el almacenamiento de nutrientes en gansos que estaban haciendo escalas migratorias, un efecto previamente detectado por medio de medidas internas de las reservas nutritivas. Monitoreamos los cambios estacionales en los índices de perfil abdominal de gansos en años que estuvieron (1997 y 1998) y no estuvieron (1999 y 2000) expuestos a cacería en la primavera. En dos de las tres regiones, los perfiles abdominales indicaron que la condición corporal se incrementó a una tasa mayor en los años sin cacería. La ausencia de un efecto negativo de la cacería en la otra región probablemente fue debida a la variabilidad entre distintos observadores al establecer los valores del perfil abdominal. Concluimos que los índices de perfil abdominal pueden ser útiles para evaluar la condición corporal de estos gansos durante la época de escalas migratorias, pero la técnica tiene limitaciones serias a nivel individual, especialmente cuando los observadores no han sido entrenados adecuadamente.

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Decline in Body Mass, Size, and Condition of Greater Snow Geese, 1975-94

Journal of Wildlife Management ◽

10.2307/3802598 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 413 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Austin Reed ◽

Nathalie Plante

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Snow Geese ◽

Mass Size

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Effects of Habitat use and Movement Patterns on Incubation Behavior of Female Wood Ducks (Aix Sponsa) in Southeast Alabama

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/120.4.1159 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 120 (4) ◽

pp. 1159-1167

Author(s):

Travis Hayes Folk ◽

Gary R. Hepp

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Incubation Period ◽

Body Mass ◽

Inverse Relationship ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Aix Sponsa ◽

Ephemeral Wetlands ◽

Beaver Ponds ◽

Incubation Behavior ◽

Wood Ducks

Abstract We examined effects of movement patterns and habitat use of female Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) during incubation on incubation constancy and recess frequency. Incubating females (n = 41) were equipped with subcutaneous radiotransmitters and subsequently located during daily recess events. Using compositional analysis, we determined beaver ponds, creeks, ephemeral wetlands, and lake-influenced habitats ranked higher in preference than other available aquatic habitats (i.e. managed impoundments, farm pond, and lake habitats). An inverse relationship between female use of the top four ranked habitats and recess range size suggested that those were high-quality habitats. Mean (±SE) incubation constancy (n = 40 nests) was 81.3 ± 0.8%, and females took an average of 2.2 ± 0.3 recesses day−1. Incubation period averaged 31.8 ± 0.3 days, and there was a weak inverse relationship between incubation period and incubation constancy. Incubating females lost 3.9 ± 0.8% of early incubation body mass, but body-mass changes were not associated with use of preferred habitats (i.e. beaver ponds, creeks, ephemeral wetlands, and lake-influenced areas). Initiation date of incubation and percentage use of preferred habitats were the most important variables describing variation in incubation constancy. Constancy declined later in the breeding season and with increased use of preferred habitats. Recess frequency decreased with increasing variation in distances that females traveled from the nest. Wood Ducks nesting at southern latitudes generally are not energetically constrained during incubation, and nest attentiveness is only weakly associated with incubation period. We would expect stronger relationships between habitat use, body-mass dynamics, and incubation behavior under environmental conditions that are more severe or less predictable.

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