Journal article

Authors list: Austad, Martin; Sand Saebo, Jorgen; Steen, Ronny; Goodenough, Katharine S.; Davenport, Lisa; Haugaasen, Torbjorn

Publication year: 2024

Journal: Ecology and Evolution

Volume number: 14

Issue number: 2

ISSN: 2045-7758

Open access status: Gold

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11021

Publisher: Wiley

Abstract: 

Birds nesting on riverine beaches are exposed to large temperature fluctuations, while changing water levels pose flooding risks. We used miniature temperature loggers (iButtons (R)) placed in nests and on the beach surface combined with time-lapse photography to study incubation behaviour in the black skimmer (Rynchops niger) on the Manu River, Peru. Since the species exhibits sexual size dimorphism, we could identify partner switches in images and the contribution to incubation effort by each pair member. Results of the study documented that nest temperature was less affected by ambient temperature and fluctuated less than the surroundings. Despite shorter incubation bouts at midday, black skimmers maintained a close to constant presence at the nest by more frequent nest exchanges. In fact, while female black skimmers generally incubated more and for longer than males, pairs shared incubation most consistently during the hottest part of the day. Incubation probability decreased around dusk, a peak foraging time for the species and a time when beach temperature overlapped with nest temperature. A biparental incubation strategy across the diel cycle appears to allow black skimmers breeding at the Manu River to incubate in challenging thermal conditions, but further studies are needed to determine proximity to thermal limits.

We investigated biparental incubation behaviour and nest temperature using autonomous recording devices and test whether male and female time budgets change across the diel cycle in a sexually dimorphic species. Black skimmers made use of several behavioural mechanisms, such as shorter incubation bouts, higher pair synchronisation and thermoregulatory postures to maintain high nest attendance even in the hottest part of the day. Our findings can inform habitat management and conservation which are increasingly needed for sandbank nesting species.image

Harvard Citation style: Austad, M., Sand Saebo, J., Steen, R., Goodenough, K., Davenport, L. and Haugaasen, T. (2024) Biparental incubation behaviour under temperature extremes in sandbank nesting black skimmers, Ecology and Evolution, 14(2), Article e11021. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11021

APA Citation style: Austad, M., Sand Saebo, J., Steen, R., Goodenough, K., Davenport, L., & Haugaasen, T. (2024). Biparental incubation behaviour under temperature extremes in sandbank nesting black skimmers. Ecology and Evolution. 14(2), Article e11021. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11021