Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Risk-taking by incubating rufous bush robins Cercotrichas galactotes: season-dependent incubation stage effect

  • Article
  • Published:
Journal of Ethology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Risk-taking by incubating birds is commonly assumed to increase with reproductive stage due to increased nest value, and also with time of the breeding season due to decreased renesting opportunity. Nonetheless, the potential for these two factors to interact has not been given much importance. However, the extent to which risk-taking may increase with reproductive stage could be expected to vary with season. We investigated this issue using data on rufous bush robins (Cercotrichas galactotes) that we experimentally flushed from their nests at different stages of incubation and at different dates in the breeding season. We found that flushing distance of incubating birds decreased significantly with both incubation stage and season. More interestingly, we also found that incubation stage and season interact in shaping risk-taking the behaviour of incubating birds. As the breeding season progresses, and renesting opportunity declines, the effect of incubation stage on incubating parent risk-taking decreases. Overall, our work once again underlines the great complexity of behavioural and ecological factors and processes that affect risk-taking by nesting birds. In particular, it stresses the need to consider the interaction between reproductive stage and season when dealing with nest-defence behaviour in birds.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albrecht T, Klvaña P (2004) Nest crypsis, reproductive value of a clutch and escape decisions in incubating female Mallards Anas platyrhynchos. Ethology 110:603–613

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson M, Wiklund CG, Rundgren H (1980) Parental defence of offspring: a model and an example. Anim Behav 28:536–542

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barash DP (1975) Evolutionary aspects of parental behavior: distraction behavior of the Alpine Accentor. Wilson Bull 87:367–373

    Google Scholar 

  • Boukhriss J, Selmi S, Nouira S (2009) Bird nest predation in a southern Tunisian oasis habitat: no evidence of “edge effect”. Acta Oecol 35:174–181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breitwisch R (1988) Sex differences in defence of eggs and nestlings by Northern Mockingbirds, Mimus polyglottos. Anim Behav 36:62–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brunton DH (1990) The effects of nesting stage, sex and type of predator on parental defense by killdeer (Charadrius ociferus): testing models of avian parental defence. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 26:181–190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burhans DE, Thompson FR (2001) Relation of songbird nest concealment to nest fate and flushing behaviour of adults. Auk 118:237–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curio E (1975) The functional organization of antipredator behaviour in the pied flycatcher: a study of avian visual perception. Anim Behav 23:1–115

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dawkins R, Carlisle TR (1976) Parental investment, mate desertion and a fallacy. Nature 262:131–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forbes MRL, Clark RG, Weatherhead PJ, Armstrong T (1994) Risk-taking by female ducks: intra and interspecific tests of nest defence theory. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 34:79–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galeotti P, Tavecchia G, Bonetti A (2000) Parental defence in long-eared Owls Asio otus: effects of breeding stage, parent sex and human persecution. J Avian Biol 31:431–440

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greig-Smith PW (1980) Parental investment in nest defence by stonechats (Saxicola torquata). Anim Behav 28:604–619

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gunness MA, Weatherhead PJ (2002) Variation in nest defence in ducks: methodological and biological insight. J Avian Biol 33:191–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollander FA, Van Overveld T, Tokka I, Matthysen E (2008) Personality and nest defense in the Great Tit (Parus major). Ethology 114:405–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jönsson PE, Alerstam A (1990) The adaptive significance of parental role division of sexual size dimorphism in breeding shorebirds. Biol J Linn Soc 41:301–314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knight RL, Temple SA (1986) Why does intensity of avian nest defense increase during the nesting cycle? Auk 103:318–327

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez-Iborra G (1983) Dates sobre la niditicacion de1 Alzacola (Cercotrichas galactotes). Alytes 1:373–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Mallory ML, McNicol DK, Walton RA (1998) Risk-taking by incubating Common Goldeneyes and Hooded Mergansers. Condor 100:694–701

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martins TLF, Roberts ML, Giblin I, Huxham R, Evans MR (2007) Speed of exploration and risk-taking behavior are linked to corticosterone titres in zebra finches. Horm Behav 52:445–453

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Montgomerie RD, Weatherhead PJ (1988) Risks and rewards of nest defence by parent birds. Q Rev Biol 63:167–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palomino JJ, Martí-Vivaldi M, Soler M, Soler JJ (1998) Functional significance of nest size variation in the Rufous Bush Robin Cercotrichas galactotes. Ardea 86:177–185

    Google Scholar 

  • Pavel V, Bureš S (2008) Nest defence in the meadow pipit Anthus pratensis: the influence of renesting potential. J Ethol 26:367–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pugesek BH (1983) The relationship between parental age and reproductive effort in the California gull (Larus californicus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 13:161–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Redondo T (1989) Avian nest defence: theoretical models and evidence. Behaviour 111:161–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rytkönen S, Koivula K, Orell M (1990) Temporal increase in nest defence intensity of willow tit (Parus montanus): parental investment or methodological artefact? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 27:283–286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SAS Statistical Institute (1998) SAS/STAT user’s guide, version 8. SAS Statistical Institute, Cary

  • Selmi S (2000) Données nouvelles sur les avifaunes des oasis du sud tunisien. Alauda 68:25–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Selmi S (2004) Nidification et succès reproducteur du Merle noir Turdus merula dans les oasis du sud Tunisien. Alauda 72:23–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Selmi S, Boulinier T, Barbault R (2002) Richness and composition of oasis bird communities: spatial issues and species–area relationship. Auk 119:533–539

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shields WM (1984) Barn swallow mobbing: self-defence, collateral kin defence, group defence or parental care? Anim Behav 32:132–148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snow DW, Perrins CM (1998) The birds of Western Palearctic, concise edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford

  • Sproat TM, Ritchison G (1993) The nest defense behavior of eastern screech-owls: effects of nest stage, sex, nest type and predator location. Condor 95:288–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trivers RL (1972) Parental investment and sexual selection. In: Campbell B (ed) Sexual selection and the descent of man. Aldine, Chicago, pp 136–179

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallin K (1987) Defence as parental care in Tawny Owls (Strix aluco). Behaviour 102:213–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weatherhead PJ (1979) Do savannah sparrows commit the Concorde fallacy? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 5:373–381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiklund CG (1990) Offspring protection by Merlin (Falco columbarius) females: the importance of brood size and expected offspring survival for defense of young. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 26:217–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank H. Belwafi, who helped a lot with nest finding during data collection. We are also grateful to Dr. T. Boulinier for commenting on an earlier version of the manuscript. The comments and suggestions by the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Y. Tsubaki, the Associate Editor, Dr. H. Nagata, and two anonymous reviewers greatly improved the manuscript and are much appreciated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département des SV, Faculté des Sciences de Gabès, 6072 Zrig, Gabès, Tunisia

    Jihen Boukhriss & Slaheddine Selmi

  2. Unité de Recherche, Biodiversité & Biologie des Populations, 05/UR/09-10, Tunis, Tunisia

    Jihen Boukhriss & Slaheddine Selmi

Authors
  1. Jihen Boukhriss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Slaheddine Selmi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Slaheddine Selmi.

About this article

Cite this article

Boukhriss, J., Selmi, S. Risk-taking by incubating rufous bush robins Cercotrichas galactotes: season-dependent incubation stage effect. J Ethol 28, 331–337 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-009-0189-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-009-0189-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation