Differences in begging behaviour between barn swallow, Hirundo rustica, nestlings

Animal Behaviour
A Lotem

Abstract

Recent models of parent-offspring communication suggest that nestling begging reliably reflects food requirements, and therefore should increase with nestling need. Need may be affected by short-term variations in hunger, as well as by long-term factors such as relative size, growth rate and body condition. In the present study, the brood sizes of barn swallows were manipulated to create differences in nestling growth rate and body condition. The extent to which begging behaviour reflects these differences was tested. I measured begging behaviour by removing nestlings from the nest for three laboratory tests in which temporal variations in hunger were controlled, and four target nestlings (small and large, from small and large broods) were tested simultaneously. Small nestlings and nestlings from large broods had lower growth rates and poorer body condition than large nestlings and nestlings from small broods, respectively. Begging was positively correlated with both short- and long-term determinants of need. However, when nestlings grew older (second test), the trend was mixed, mainly because begging levels dropped in the neediest nestling category (small nestlings from large broods). After nestlings had been exchanged between...Continue Reading

Citations

Jul 26, 2007·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Uri Grodzinski, Arnon Lotem
Oct 15, 2010·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Andrea Bonisoli-AlquatiNicola Saino
May 13, 2011·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Uri Grodzinski, Rufus A Johnstone
Mar 18, 2004·The American Naturalist·R A Johnstone
Feb 13, 2009·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Roi Dor, Arnon Lotem
Jul 17, 2004·Hormones and Behavior·Kevin M PilzElizabeth Adkins-Regan
Jun 11, 2002·Journal of Theoretical Biology·I DostáikováP Kindlmann
Feb 15, 2007·The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·Erik R Patel, Michael J Owren
Sep 18, 2002·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·H KedarA Lotem
Dec 14, 2004·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Hannes ScheuberMartin W G Brinkhof
Dec 29, 2000·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·H C Godfray, R A Johnstone
Jan 6, 2021·Animal Cognition·Madison BrodeE Keith Bowers

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