Title

Simultaneous Incubation By Two Females And Nestling Provisioning By Four Adults At A Savannah Sparrow Nest

Authors

Nathan J. Zalik, University of Vermont
Noah G. Perlut, University of New EnglandFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2008

Abstract

We present the first observations of misdirected parental care by Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) including a rare occurrence of simultaneous incubation. Two females simultaneously incubated eggs, brooded, and fed nestlings, and two males fed nestlings in one nest. These behaviors may have been prompted by strong parental instincts in combination with a stressful breeding environment mediated by hayfield management, as any genetic benefits were unlikely.

Comments

Available here by permission of the publisher, The Wilson Ornithological Society. Originally published:

Zalik, N.and N.G. Perlut. 2008. Simultaneous incubation by two females and nestling provisioning by four adults at a Savannah Sparrow nest. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120:628-630. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1676/07-129.1

Recommended Citation

Zalik, Nathan J. and Perlut, Noah G., "Simultaneous Incubation By Two Females And Nestling Provisioning By Four Adults At A Savannah Sparrow Nest" (2008). Environmental Studies Faculty Publications. 19.
https://dune.une.edu/env_facpubs/19