Abstract
I recorded 42 cases of brood amalgamation in Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) and 31 cases in Bufflehead (B. albeola). In four witnessed brood encounters, there was no evidence of behaviour facilitating brood amalgamation in either the young or the female. Females did not attempt to steal other females' young but rather tried to chase them away or even kill them. Females abandoned their young only after violent fights and often made several attempts to regain them. Brood encounters had various outcomes: (i) establishment of territorial boundaries, (ii) expulsion from lake, (iii) death of young, (iv) complete or partial brood amalgamation. In 3 years of observations there was no significant relationship between brood size and duckling survival. I contend that brood amalgamation in Barrow's Goldeneye and in Bufflehead has not evolved as an adaptation to increase young and (or) female survival but that it is simply an accidental outcome of territorial aggressiveness.
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Subject
Animal Science and Zoology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
27 articles.
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