La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Unusual incubation: Long-billed Dowitcher incubates mammalian bones
Auteurs :	Lillie A. Langlois, Auteur ; Katrina Murboeck, Auteur ; Martin Bulla, Auteur ; Bart Kempenaers, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Ardea (100(2) FAL 2012)
Article en page(s) :	206-210
Résumé :	Langlois L.A., Murbock K., Bulla M. & Kempenaers B. 2012. Unusual incubation: Long-billed Dowitcher incubates mammalian bones. Ardea 100: 206-210. It is well established that once birds have laid their eggs they sometimes incubate non-egg objects. However, reports of birds incubating solely non-egg objects (without prior manipulation by researchers) are rare. Here we report on our observation of a Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus incubating a clutch composed entirely of mammalian bones. To our knowledge, this is the first report on (a) incubation of foreign objects in Scolopacidae, (b) incubation of a 'clutch' composed entirely of bones, and (c) incubation of foreign objects in a nest atypical for this species in both construction and nest habitat. We discuss possible explanations for this presumably maladaptive behaviour.

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