Publication details
Anti-predator function of not covering eggs in the initial phase of nesting in Grey Partridge Perdix perdix: a field experiment
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Bird Study |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2020.1780194 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2020.1780194 |
| Keywords | antipredator defense; bait; egg; female; gamebird; nest site; nesting; predation risk; |
| Description | Capsule: An experiment in the field supports the hypothesis that Grey Partridges Perdix perdix purposely expose their first laid eggs in order to test the predation risk at their nest site. Aims: To test the hypothesis that female Grey Partridges leave first laid eggs uncovered to assess the predation risk at their chosen nesting site. Methods: Four area-independent experiments with artificial nests were used. Predation risk was estimated by daily nest failure rate. Generalized linear mixed-effects models were used in statistical analysis. Results: We found that Grey Partridge females could predict nest site safety. At nest sites where the first uncovered egg was depredated, there was a higher predation risk for the whole clutch. Conclusion: Our data statistically support the hypothesis that leaving the first egg uncovered serves to provide a more conspicuous bait for potential predators and could be a female tactic for better recognizing predation risk at a nesting site. Thus, if the first uncovered egg is depredated, the female may start a new clutch elsewhere without wasting investment in the clutch at a site under high predation risk. © 2020, © 2020 British Trust for Ornithology. |