AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Incubation Behavior of Long-Tailed Tits: Why Do Males Provision Incubating Females?

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1999
Authors:Hatchwell, BJ, Fowlie, MK, Ross, DJ, RUSSELL, AF
Journal:The Condor
Volume:101
Issue:3
Date Published:1999
ISBN Number:00105422
Keywords:Aegithalidae, Aegithalos, Aegithalos caudatus
Abstract:The incubation period of Long-tailed Tits Aegithalos caudatus is highly variable, ranging from 14 to 21 days. Females alone incubate the eggs, but males provide females with some food during the incubation period, although females must also forage for themselves. Our aim was to investigate whether male provisioning of incubating females influenced female incubation behavior and the length of the incubation period. Provisioning rates varied between males, and female nest attentiveness was negatively related to short-term variation in the rate at which their partner fed them. However, the provisioning rate of individual males also varied significantly through time, and there was no significant effect of male care on female incubation across the whole incubation period. There was no evidence that variation in the behavior of either males or females influenced the length of the incubation period.
URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/1370201
Short Title:The Condor
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith