Abstract
Extended post-fledging parental care is an important aspect of parental care in birds, although little studied due to logistic difficulties. Commonly, the brood is split physically (brood division) and/or preferential care is given to a subset of the brood by one parent or the other (care division). Among gulls and tern (Laridae), males and females generally share parental activities during the pre-fledging period, but the allocation of parental care after fledging is little documented. This study examined the behaviour of male and female roseate terns (Sterna dougallii) during the late chick-rearing and early post-fledging periods, and in particular the amount of feeds and the time spent in attendance given to individual chicks/fledglings. Pre-fledging parental care was biparental in all cases. Post-fledging parental care was dependent on the number of fledglings in the brood. Males and females continued biparental care in clutches with one surviving fledgling, while in two-fledgling clutches, males fed the A-fledgling while females fed the B-fledgling. Overall, there was no difference in attendance, only in feeds. This division of care may be influenced by the male only being certain of the paternity of the A-chick but not by chick sex.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to D. Shealer and J. Zingo for their contributions to the set-up of this study and the Stewart B. McKinney N.W.R. for permission to work on Falkner Island. We are indebted to I.C.T. Nisbet for the idea for this project, P. Szczys for sexing the fledglings and S. Brault for analytical advice, and also to J. Arnold for encouragement and company, as well as D. Watson for support and comments on various drafts. This research was supported by the Blake Fund of the Nuttall Ornithological Club. Field studies were carried out in accordance with all relevant state and Federal regulations and licences.
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Watson, M.J., Spendelow, J.A. & Hatch, J.J. Post-fledging brood and care division in the roseate tern (Sterna dougallii). J Ethol 30, 29–34 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-011-0286-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-011-0286-9