Impaired flight ability prior to egg laying : A cost of being a capital breeder

• 1To investigate flight ability in captive Zebra Finches during reproduction we compared change in escape take-off ability and wing load of reproducing females with their mates and non-reproducing females when attacked by a model raptor. 2Initially females had 18% higher wing load than males. Non-reproducing females and females that had started egg-laying flew slower than males. Reproducing females reduced wing load during egg-laying and flew faster when the clutch was completed. Non-breeding females remained on high wing load and flow slower than breeding females that had completed their clutch. 3The increase in flight speed of breeding females was explained by a reduction in wing load during egg-laying. 4Zebra Finches use accumulated reserves to produce eggs and pay a cost in terms of reduced flight ability, but then regain flight performance when the clutch is laid, probably demonstrating a predation cost of capital breeding in birds.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Zoologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Zoology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Bird

capital breeding

predation risk

Taeniopygia guttata

Animal physiology

Zoofysiologi

zoologisk ekologi

Animal Ecology

zoologi

Zoology

etologi

Ethology

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)