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Nestling American robins compete with siblings by begging

Smith, Henrik G. LU and Montgomerie, R (1991) In Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 29. p.307-312
Abstract
The evolution of intense begging by dependent nestling birds has recently been the subject of several theoretical papers. The interesting problem here is that nestlings should be able to communicate their nutritional status to parents in ways that are less costly energetically and less likely to attract predators. Thus, conspicuous begging behaviour is thought to have evolved as a result of either competition among nestmates or the manipulation of their parents to provide more food than would otherwise be favoured by selection. We studied sibling competition for parental feedings in the American robin (Turdus migratorius). We demonstrate that the probability that an individual nestling received food was related to several indices of... (More)
The evolution of intense begging by dependent nestling birds has recently been the subject of several theoretical papers. The interesting problem here is that nestlings should be able to communicate their nutritional status to parents in ways that are less costly energetically and less likely to attract predators. Thus, conspicuous begging behaviour is thought to have evolved as a result of either competition among nestmates or the manipulation of their parents to provide more food than would otherwise be favoured by selection. We studied sibling competition for parental feedings in the American robin (Turdus migratorius). We demonstrate that the probability that an individual nestling received food was related to several indices of begging. When we experimentally prevented parents from feeding part of their brood, both the intensity of begging and the number of feedings subsequently received by food-deprived nestlings increased. Furthermore, the begging intensity of those nestlings that were not food-deprived also increased in response to the begging of their hungrier siblings. (Less)
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author
and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
volume
29
pages
307 - 312
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:0026302672
ISSN
1432-0762
DOI
10.1007/BF00163989
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
5d4dcc81-77ff-47b4-9558-32c0df3a6d62
date added to LUP
2017-07-10 15:21:11
date last changed
2021-04-04 05:31:06
@article{5d4dcc81-77ff-47b4-9558-32c0df3a6d62,
  abstract     = {{The evolution of intense begging by dependent nestling birds has recently been the subject of several theoretical papers. The interesting problem here is that nestlings should be able to communicate their nutritional status to parents in ways that are less costly energetically and less likely to attract predators. Thus, conspicuous begging behaviour is thought to have evolved as a result of either competition among nestmates or the manipulation of their parents to provide more food than would otherwise be favoured by selection. We studied sibling competition for parental feedings in the American robin (Turdus migratorius). We demonstrate that the probability that an individual nestling received food was related to several indices of begging. When we experimentally prevented parents from feeding part of their brood, both the intensity of begging and the number of feedings subsequently received by food-deprived nestlings increased. Furthermore, the begging intensity of those nestlings that were not food-deprived also increased in response to the begging of their hungrier siblings.}},
  author       = {{Smith, Henrik G. and Montgomerie, R}},
  issn         = {{1432-0762}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{307--312}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology}},
  title        = {{Nestling American robins compete with siblings by begging}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00163989}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/BF00163989}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{1991}},
}