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1 March 2007 PARENTAL INVESTMENT IN SWAN GEESE IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT
CHRISTOPH RANDLER
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Abstract

I studied brood-rearing behavior of introduced Swan Geese (Anser cygnoides) in Heidelberg, Germany during 2002 and 2003. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) division of labor between males and females is similar to that of wild Anser species, and (2) parental investment (vigilance behavior) is adjusted for brood size. I used 10-min sessions of focal animal sampling during which I simultaneously recorded the behavior of the male, the female, and a majority of the juveniles every 15 sec. Division of labor was similar to that observed in wild Anser populations: males were more vigilant whereas females spent more time feeding during the first 4 weeks of brood-rearing. As brood-rearing progressed, vigilance and agonistic behavior by both males and females decreased, whereas juveniles decreased feeding and increased vigilance. Adults (males and females combined) adjusted vigilance for brood size. A general linear model showed a significant influence of both brood size and brood age on parental vigilance.

CHRISTOPH RANDLER "PARENTAL INVESTMENT IN SWAN GEESE IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT," The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 119(1), 23-27, (1 March 2007). https://doi.org/10.1676/04-014.1
Received: 12 February 2004; Accepted: 1 July 2006; Published: 1 March 2007
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