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- Title
A Natural Experiment: Heterospecific Cross-fostering of House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) by Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor).
- Authors
AUSTIN, SUZANNE H.; ROBINSON, TARA RODDEN; ROBINSON, W. DOUGLAS; CHARTIER, NEIL A.
- Abstract
We report a natural cross-fostering experiment of two House Wren (Troglodytes aedori) eggs and nestlings by Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). We document an increase in duration of the House Wren incubation period by 1-2 d, which closely corresponds to the mean incubation period of their hosts. We also documented nestling growth rates of both the host Tree Swallows and the alloparented House Wrens. The host parents apparently fed the House Wren nestlings; however, the wrens exhibited slow growth compared with conspecific nestlings in neighboring nests. The wren nestlings eventually died at 6 and 13 d of age. We hypothesize that the lower incubation temperatures, and later, interspecific sibling competition that the House Wren nestlings were exposed to in the Tree Swallow nest may have prolonged the incubation period and slowed the growth rates of the House Wren nestlings.
- Subjects
CROSS-fostering in animals; PARENTAL behavior in animals; HOUSE wren; TROGLODYTES (Bird genus); TREE swallow; EGG incubation; ANIMAL morphology; BIRD behavior
- Publication
American Midland Naturalist, 2009, Vol 162, Issue 2, p382
- ISSN
0003-0031
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1674/0003-0031-162.2.382