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- Title
The Behavioral Pattern of the Nesting Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) on the Island of Crete.
- Authors
Perodaskalaki, Anastasia; Xirouchakis, Stavros
- Abstract
Simple Summary: Parental care in birds is a common area of interest for bird experts and behavior scientists. Raising chicks can take a lot of energy and may influence the health, survival and future breeding success of the parents. Typically, mates contribute similarly to the work of caring for their young. This study looks at the breeding behavior of a bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) pair on the island of Crete (Greece), focusing on how the male and the female bird share parental care throughout the breeding season. The results show that both parents contributed similarly to caring for their young but with some differences. The male spent more time incubating the eggs and watching over the chick, while the female focused more on keeping the chick warm, feeding it, and maintaining the nest. Incubation and brooding tasks were steady throughout the day, while feeding happened more often during the early morning. As the breeding season went on, the parents' behavior became more relaxed. On average, the birds switched roles in the nest about 2.3 times a day depending on the local environment and their need to find food. This study investigates the breeding behavior of the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) with regard to the role of the sexes in parental care and the stages of the breeding season. Fieldwork took place in western Crete, where one pair was monitored through an automated surveillance system during 2003–2005, recording 892 h of data. A continuous focal sampling method was pursued, marking the behavioral pattern of each parent bird in the nest. Our results show minimal sexual differences in parental investment, though variations were detected in the frequency and the time spent on certain breeding duties. The male was more often recorded attending the chick and incubated the clutch for longer bouts. Conversely, the female contributed more in brooding and feeding the young as well as in maintaining the nest in good condition. Incubation and brooding were consistent throughout the daytime, while feeding was more often recorded during early morning hours. All behavioral patterns relaxed as the breeding season progressed. Social interactions culminated during 5–7 weeks after egg hatching. The mean frequency of nest changeovers was 2.3 ± 1.49 per day or ca. every 3.7 h, varying through the breeding season, depicting the local environmental conditions and the time budget spent in foraging by the adult birds.
- Subjects
ANIMAL sexual behavior; BIRD behavior; BIRD nests; TIME management; SOCIAL interaction; EGG incubation
- Publication
Birds (2673-6004), 2024, Vol 5, Issue 4, p845
- ISSN
2673-6004
- Publication type
Academic Journal
- DOI
10.3390/birds5040056