Incidence of Communal Nesting in the European Starling at Belmont, New Zealand

Stouffer et al. (1988) detailed the first reported case of two female European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris ) laying in the same nest in three breeding attempts and cooperating with a single male to rear the young. We have recorded similar behavior in New Zealand, where starlings were introduced Brit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Condor (Los Angeles, Calif.) Calif.), 1989-11, Vol.91 (4), p.992-993
Main Authors: John E. C. Flux, Flux, Margaret M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal ethology
Animal nesting
Aves
Biological and medical sciences
Bird nesting
Chicks
Eggs
Female animals
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Male animals
Nesting sites
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Short Communications
Starlings
Sturnus vulgaris
Vertebrata
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Summary:Stouffer et al. (1988) detailed the first reported case of two female European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris ) laying in the same nest in three breeding attempts and cooperating with a single male to rear the young. We have recorded similar behavior in New Zealand, where starlings were introduced Britain in 1862. To study the effects of artificial selection for large clutch size in a wild population we put up 100 new nest boxes each year from 1970 through 1974 and have maintained 500 boxes since 1974. The study area was situated on a 1,500-ha sheep farm 16 km northeast of Wellington.
ISSN:0010-5422
1938-5129
DOI:10.2307/1368087