La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Observations on parental care in the Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus alpinus while rearing its off-springs.
Auteurs :	Kilian Weixler, Auteur ; Elisabeth K. V. Kalko, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Ornithologischer Anzeiger (46(2-3) DEC 2007)
Article en page(s) :	89-103
Résumé :	This study of parental care in the Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus alpinus while rearing its offspring has been carried out in authochtonous, high montane to subalpine spruce forests in the Oberallgdu (Germany, Bavaria, Swabia). Only one out of three broods could be observed throughout the full rearing period. Longer resting phases (> 1 minute) in the cavity were interpreted as intense parental care (e.g. brooding or warming the nestlings). Throughout the observation period, resting bouts in the cavity decreased gradually. In contrast, frequency of feeding and removal of faecal material gradually increased with the age of the nestlings,except for the last nestling days. The observed decline is interpreted as a phase where the young are weaned. Reduction in feeding rate is thought to motivate the young to leave the cavity and feed on their own. This study supports earlier propositions of a disproportionally high rate of male care during the nestling period. This male dominated form of parental care is generally regarded as a prerequisite for polyandry which has been proved recently for the Three-toed Woodpecker by Pechacek et al. (2006).

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