La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Effect of nest microclimate on effective endothermy in White Stork Ciconia ciconia nestlings (1999)
Auteurs :	F. S. Tortosa, Auteur ; R. Villafuerte, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Bird Study (46(Suppl.) 1999)
Article en page(s) :	336-341
Langues:	Anglais
Résumé :	White Storks frequently carry fresh cattle dung to their nests between one week before and three weeks after egg hatching. Because a possible effect of this on the thermoregulation of the chicks was suspected, we selected nests with a brood size of two to carry out several experiments. First, we compared the body temperature of all individually isolated chick with one that remained in the nest. The isolated chick was kept in a wooden cage near the nest tree. After a 20-minute period, the nestling that remained unbrooded ill the nest showed a higher body temperature than its sibling. Secondly, we rioted that when fresh dung was removed from some of the nests, body temperature dropped more quickly than those from unmanipulated nests used as a control. We conclude that the microclimate of the nest influences nestling thermoregulation. This may help to advance their age of effective endothermy.

Lundi , mardi et jeudi de 9h à 12h et de 13h à 17h00 : ouverture au public ...