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Hot footing eggs: thermal imaging reveals foot mediated incubation in White-tailed Tropicbirds, Phaethon lepturus

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Abstract

Birds generally incubate eggs by transferring body heat from an exposed abdominal area known as a brood patch. However, there are exceptions to this where some species use foot-mediated incubation. It was previously thought that, although White-tailed Tropicbirds, Phaethon lepturus, lack a brood patch, the heat generated by their feet was too low to incubate their eggs. Using modern thermal imaging techniques, our results indicate the opposite, revealing that tropicbird feet are an important heat source when incubating their eggs.

Zusammenfassung

Eier auf heißen Füßen: Thermographie zeigt die Bedeutung der Füße für das Brüten beim Weißschwanz-Tropikvogel Phaeton lepturusÜblicherweise bebrüten Vögel ihre Eier über einen Brutfleck am unteren Bauch. Doch davon gibt es auch Ausnahmen. Einige Arten bebrüten ihre Eier mit den Füßen. Für den Weißschwanz-Tropikvogel Phaeton lepturus, dem ein Brutfleck fehlt, wurde bisher angenommen, dass die über die Füße abgegebene Wärmemenge nicht ausreicht, Eier zu bebrüten. Mithilfe moderner Thermographie können wir aber das Gegenteil zeigen: Die Füße der Tropikvögel sind die wichtigste Wärmequelle bei der Bebrütung ihrer Eier.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the University of KwaZulu-Natal publication incentive fund and the National Research Foundation rating funding to M. Brown and post-doctoral funding to LA Hart. The Department of Environment and the Seychelles Bureau of Standards granted permission for this work to be conducted in the Seychelles. We thank the Cousine Island staff, particularly J. Gane and I. Olivier, for their hospitality and assistance with data collection. The sampling methods used in this study complied with the current laws of the Seychelles and the terms of the permit issued.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    Lorinda A. Hart, Colleen T. Downs & M. Brown

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  1. Lorinda A. Hart
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  2. Colleen T. Downs
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  3. M. Brown
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Correspondence to Colleen T. Downs.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Communicated by F. Bairlein.

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Hart, L.A., Downs, C.T. & Brown, M. Hot footing eggs: thermal imaging reveals foot mediated incubation in White-tailed Tropicbirds, Phaethon lepturus . J Ornithol 157, 635–640 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-015-1323-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-015-1323-1

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