Brooding and provisioning of nestlings by male and female White-eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus)

Abstract

Most species of songbirds exhibit biparental care, but, for many taxa and species, little is known about the relative contributions of males and females in brooding and provisioning nestlings. Additional studies of the contributions of males and females in brooding and feeding nestlings are needed to better understand the respective roles of males and females as well as the factors that might contribute to interspecific variation in those roles. We examined the roles of adult male and female White-eyed Vireos ( Vireo griseus) in brooding and provisioning nestlings in east-central Kentucky during the 1996 breeding season. Nests were located by monitoring adult behavior and checking likely nest sites. Once eggs hatched, nests were video-recorded to monitor the behavior of adults. Subsequent review of videos revealed that both male and female White-eyed Vireos brooded young and that males provisioned nestlings at higher rates than females. In contrast to males in many other species of songbirds, male White-eyed Vireos assisted in brooding young and provisioned nestlings at higher rates than their mates. One possible explanation for this is that low rates of extra-pair paternity might increase male confidence of their paternity status. Parental care provided by male White-eyed Vireos may also limit energy expenditure by their mates and increase the likelihood of females re-nesting if nests are predated or initiating second nesting attempts if initial attempts are successful.

Metabolic responses to cold: thermal physiology of native common waxbills (Estrilda astrild)

“…Facultative hypothermia, such as resting phase hypothermia, refers to the adaptive ability to reduce body temperature in response to environmental conditions (e.g., cold temperatures), with a 30-40% reduction in metabolic rate (Reinertsen, 1983). This phenomenon has been observed in species spanning 16 different orders and 31 families of birds (Ritchison, 2023), some of which have a small body mass (Ruf & Geiser, 2015). For example, small passerines (i.e., blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, willow tit…”

Female Grass Wrens adjust brooding effort according to ambient temperature, male feeding contribution and nest placement

“…2016), food provisioning (Leniowski & Wȩgrzyn 2018, Matysioková & Remeš 2018, Ritchison et al . 2019), predation risk (Wegrzyn 2013, Matysioková & Remeš 2018) and inclement weather (Carroll et al . 2018, Barras et al .…”

“…Brooding is thought to be a demanding behaviour as it reduces the time available for foraging and increases the metabolic costs of warming the young at low ambient temperatures (Moreno 1989a, 1989b, Chastel & Kersten 2002, but see Sanz & Moreno 1995). Although brooding behaviour can influence reproductive success and the future fitness of nestlings, it is still among the most understudied aspects of avian parental behaviour (but see Yoon et al 2017, Smith et al 2018, Ritchison et al 2019, Williams et al 2020.…”

Provisioning behavior of male and female Loggerhead Shrikes

“…Males and females provision at similar rates in many socially monogamous species of songbirds. 28–31 However, in some species, either males 32,33 or females 34,35 provide more food to nestlings. Differences in provisioning rates between male and females may result from the brooding of young nestlings by a single parent during the early post-hatching period, usually the female.…”

“…Males and females provision at similar rates in many socially monogamous species of songbirds. [28][29][30][31] However, in some species, either males 32,33 or females 34,35 provide more food to nestlings. Differences in provisioning rates between male and b Cached prey = pieces removed from larger prey (such as large insects, small mammals, or birds that shrikes had cached) and fed to nestlings.…”