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- Title
Nesting biology of Eastern Yellow Wagtails at Cape Romanzof, Alaska.
- Authors
Renner, Heather M.; McCaffery, Brian J.
- Abstract
The nesting biology of the Eastern Yellow Wagtail ( Motacilla tschutschensis) was studied at Cape Romanzof, Alaska, an arctic tundra site on the Bering Sea coast near the northeastern limit of the breeding distribution of the Yellow Wagtail ( Motacilla flava/citreola/tschutschensis) species complex. Ninety-four nests were located and monitored from 1996 to 1999. Females built nests in 5–7 d, and nests were located on the ground. The mean clutch size was 5.6 eggs, and the mean incubation period was 11 d. Both adults incubated, and some males had a partial brood patch. The mean duration of the nestling period was 11.6 d, and both parents brooded and fed the young. Some adults began the complete prebasic molt (including primaries) while their young were still in the nest. Nestling development was similar to that reported for other Yellow Wagtails ( sensu lato), but the breeding cycle and breeding season of Eastern Yellow Wagtails was compressed relative to Western Yellow Wagtails in Europe and to other passerine species breeding in western Alaska. Some breeding events overlapped, including initiation of egg laying before completion of nest building and initiation of adult molt while young were still in the nest. Clutch sizes were larger than reported for most European relatives. Clutch size generally fit with models predicting an increase of about one egg per 19 degrees of increased latitude. Rapid nest initiation, overlap of breeding cycle events, nest attendance (including incubation) by males, and slightly larger clutches appear to be adaptations to high-latitude breeding in this long-distance migrant.
- Subjects
ALASKA; MOTACILLA flava; BABY birds; BIRD nests; PASSERIFORMES; POLYGYNY
- Publication
Journal of Field Ornithology, 2006, Vol 77, Issue 3, p250
- ISSN
0273-8570
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1557-9263.2006.00050.x