La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Barn swallows Hirundo rustica form eggs mainly from current food intake
Auteurs :	S. Ward, Auteur ; D. M. Bryant, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Journal of Avian Biology (37(2) MAR 2006)
Article en page(s) :	179-189
Langues:	Anglais
Résumé :	Birds might form eggs from stored nutrients, from current food intake or from both. We examined whether stored nutrients were a substantial resource for egg production in an aerial insectivore, which had a variable food supply, but for which there was likely to be a cost for carrying additional mass. The mass changes of female barn swallows Hirundo rustica during the egg formation period were most simply explained by changes in the mass of the eggs and oviduct. Fat score and body mass excluding the eggs and oviduct did not vary systematically during egg formation. Egg production stopped altogether during particularly bad weather. The normal range in environmental conditions before and during laying had little influence on clutch size. Our results suggest that swallows form eggs primarily from current food intake, although our data do not exclude use of micronutrients from reserves.

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