An observation of parental infanticide in Dickcissels (Spiza americana): video evidence and potential mechanisms

Brood reduction by parents via infanticide is considered rare in passerine birds; however, this behavior may be underreported because of the difficulties observing behaviors at the nest and because researchers tend to attribute partial nestling loss to other causes. Here, we report a confirmed incid...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Wilson journal of ornithology 2018-03, Vol.130 (1), p.341-345
Main Authors: Coon, Jaime J., Nelson, Scott B., West, Amy C., Bradley, Iris A., Miller, James R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agelaius phoeniceus
Ammodramus savannarum floridanus
Animal behavior
Birds
Breeding
Breeding seasons
Brood parasitism
brood reduction
Dickcissel
Ecological monitoring
Ecologists
Ecology
Environmental protection
Females
Health risks
Hirundo rustica
Infanticide
Interspecific relationships
Males
nest monitoring
Nests
Nutritional requirements
Ornithology
Parasitism
Parental behavior
Parental behaviour
Parents
partial nestling loss
Predation
Researchers
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
Spiza
Spiza americana
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Brood reduction by parents via infanticide is considered rare in passerine birds; however, this behavior may be underreported because of the difficulties observing behaviors at the nest and because researchers tend to attribute partial nestling loss to other causes. Here, we report a confirmed incidence of parental infanticide by Dickcissels (Spiza americana). While video-recording parental behavior, we documented a 4-day-old nestling being removed by a female Dickcissel. This bird was also observed brooding and feeding, so this event was likely a parental infanticide. We subsequently examined monitoring data from 162 hatched Dickcissel nests across 2 breeding seasons to identify instances of unexplained partial nestling loss, which could potentially be attributable to infanticide. Our data indicate that 9.1–12.7% of hatched nests experienced these events. Infanticide by genetic parents could (1) benefit survival of remaining brood mates by reducing food requirements, disease, or predation risk; (2) represent responses to cuckoldry or intraspecific brood parasitism; (3) represent cases of mistaken chick identity; or (4) be triggered by unusual stressors. We recommend that ecologists monitoring bird nests consider infanticide as a possible explanation for partial nestling loss. Received 3 November 2016. Accepted 27 November 2017.
ISSN:1559-4491
1938-5447
DOI:10.1676/1559-4491-130.1.341