Age of First Pairing and Breeding among Greenland White-Fronted Geese

Warren, S; Fox, Anthony D.; Walsh, Alyn; O'Sullivan, Paddy

doi:10.2307/1369269

Cited by 18 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…1999), whereas some Wrangel Island birds have not even found a partner at this age. The slow and gradual process of pair formation over the first few years that we found in Wrangel Island birds is more similar to the pattern found in Greenland White‐fronted Geese (Warren et al . 1992) than to that in the La Pérouse Bay Snow Goose population, or in Barnacle Geese (Black & Owen 1995).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…First pairing did not occur suddenly, but gradually throughout the season, mostly in late winter and early spring; this pattern is similar to that reported in Barnacle Geese (Owen et al . 1988), Greenland White‐fronted Geese (Warren et al . 1992) and mid‐continent Snow Geese (Prevett & MacInnes 1980).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies on the chronology of first pairing in several Arctic‐breeding goose species indicate that pairing occurs mostly in winter and spring when birds are a long way from their breeding grounds (Cooke et al . 1975, Prevett & MacInnes 1980, Black & Owen 1988, Owen et al .…”

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confidence: 99%

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First pairing in Snow GeeseAnser caerulescens: at what age and at what time of year does it occur?

Ganter¹,

Boyd

Baranyuk

et al. 2004

Ibis

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In migratory birds, the place and time of pair formation are important parameters for population structure and dynamics. Geese are not only migratory but also exhibit long‐term monogamy, and therefore the first pairing event in a bird's lifetime is of particular importance. Through behavioural observations of young, known‐age, marked birds conducted on the wintering grounds during three winter seasons we investigated two aspects of the timing of first pair formation in the Wrangel Island population of Snow Geese Anser caerulescens: (1) the age at which birds first form pair bonds, and (2) the seasonal pattern of first pair formation. Wrangel Island Snow Geese paired considerably later in life than Snow Geese from a low‐Arctic population: almost none of the birds formed pairs in their second winter, and many were still in sibling groups for at least part of that season. The proportion of birds in pairs continued to increase until at least 5 years of age. Most pairing took place during the observation periods, and in general the proportion of birds in pair bonds increased gradually throughout the winter season. The amount of pairing during spring migration or summer varied annually and among cohorts, indicating that even very young birds may be able to form pair bonds quickly if conditions on the breeding grounds are unusually favourable. Pairing later and remaining in family groups longer may be a response to breeding conditions in this high‐Arctic colony. Here, productivity is typically low due to harsh weather and predation, whereas Snow Geese breeding in the low Arctic are less restricted and form pairs and start to breed when younger. The fact that most, but not all, pairing takes place on the wintering grounds helps explain why a previous study found a certain amount of gene flow between the two Wrangel Island subpopulations with separate wintering grounds.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First pairing in Snow GeeseAnser caerulescens: at what age and at what time of year does it occur?

Ganter¹,

Boyd

Baranyuk

et al. 2004

Ibis

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“…Little genetic differentiation within the species might be expected due to a recent colonisation of northern breeding areas and a lack of pronounced geographical differentiation in morphology (Cramp and Simmons 1977). Furthermore, a good dispersal ability and possible mixing of individuals originating from different breeding areas on the wintering grounds where pair formation of adults presumably takes place, as has been shown in the Greenland white-fronted goose (Warren and Fox 1992) and Canada goose (Raveling 1969), are also factors suggestive of low levels of differentiation. On the other hand, the timing of pair formation Figure 1.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Population Genetic Structure and Conservation of the Lesser White-Fronted GooseAnser erythropus

Ruokonen

Kvist

Aarvak³

et al. 2004

Conservation Genetics

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The lesser white-fronted goose is a sub-Arctic species with a currently fragmented breeding range, which extends from Fennoscandia to easternmost Siberia. The population started to decline at the beginning of the last century and, with a current world population estimate of 25,000 individuals, it is the most threatened of the Palearctic goose species. Of these, only 30-50 pairs breed in Fennoscandia. A fragment of the control region of mtDNA was sequenced from 110 individuals from four breeding, one staging and two wintering areas to study geographic subdivisions and gene flow. Sequences defined 15 mtDNA haplotypes that were assigned to two mtDNA lineages. Both the mtDNA lineages were found from all sampled localities indicating a common ancestry and/or some level of gene flow. Analyses of molecular variance showed significant structuring among populations (/ ST 0.220, P < 0.001). The results presented here together with ecological data indicate that the lesser white-fronted goose is fragmented into three distinctive subpopulations, and thus, the conservation status of the species should be reconsidered.

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“…Whereas most avian species establish pair bonds shortly before breeding, some migratory ducks establish pair bonds during the wintering period, which is usually several months in advance of the breeding period (Rohwer & Anderson 1988;Warren et al 1992;Ganter et al 2005). For some waterfowl species, pairing begins even before leaving the breeding grounds or during autumn migration (Paulus 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winter pairs of ruddy shelducks at Lashihai Lake, southwest China

Quan

Cui

2012

Integrative Zoology

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It has been suggested that pairing behavior during winter in migratory ducks represents a trade-off between costs (defense of the female) and benefits (early access to females). To investigate the benefits and costs for both sexes in wintering pairs of ruddy shelducks (Tadorna ferruginea), we compared time budgets for paired males and females, and surveyed the sex ratio of the birds wintering at Lashihai Lake, southwest China. The behavior of the paired ruddy shelducks was monitored for 5 activity types: feeding, resting (including sleeping), preening, drinking and warning. Feeding was the most dominant activity. The feeding time of both sexes increased as the winter season progressed. However, the paired females always spent significantly more time feeding and less time warning than the paired males. Paired ruddy shelducks had access to better feeding grounds than unpaired individuals, resulting in a food benefit for paired individuals over single individuals. Because the sex ratio of the wintering population was strongly male biased (M:F = 1.44:1.00), the paired male also gained the benefit of accessing a female in advance of the breeding season.

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Age of First Pairing and Breeding among Greenland White-Fronted Geese

Cited by 18 publications

References 5 publications

First pairing in Snow GeeseAnser caerulescens: at what age and at what time of year does it occur?

First pairing in Snow GeeseAnser caerulescens: at what age and at what time of year does it occur?

Population Genetic Structure and Conservation of the Lesser White-Fronted GooseAnser erythropus

Winter pairs of ruddy shelducks at Lashihai Lake, southwest China

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