Presentation Details
| Parental investment across sympatric songbird species: nestling development and provisioning strategies Cassandra Vallon, Lena Seerosh, Emily J Levy. Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA |
Abstract
Altricial young hatch underdeveloped and in need of intensive parental care as they rapidly develop. Bi-parental care is common in avian species, including the tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis), and house sparrow (Passer domesticus). The aim of this research is to explore how parental provisioning rates change throughout the course of nestling maturation in three species of songbird. The extent to which parental care in songbirds has been studied is broad, but the link between parental investment and nestling age in species in the same geographical region remains understudied. Provisioning strategies can vary across species, so nestling development may correlate with provisioning rate. We performed an observational study of parental provisioning in tree swallows, bluebirds, and house sparrows. We pair parental behavior with a dataset of nestling development in Eastern bluebirds and house sparrows. Preliminary results suggest a positive correlation between developmental stage and the rate of parental care across species. This work helps us better understand the relationship between parental behavior and nestling development in songbirds.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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