Incubation behaviour of greater snow geese in relation to weather conditions

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Poussart, Catherine, Gauthier, Gilles, Larochelle, Jacques
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2001
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Arctic; Recess
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z01-023; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z01-023

Based on allometric considerations, goose species with larger body masses should spend more time on their nest during incubation than smaller ones. We documented hourly and daily variations in incubation behaviour of large goose species nesting in the Arctic, the greater snow goose (Chen caerulescens atlantica), and examined the effect of weather conditions on recess frequency and duration. Incubation behaviour was inferred from variations in temperature recorded by adding artificial eggs to clutches. Mean nest attentiveness during the incubation period was 91.4%, indicating that it can be relatively low even for a large goose. Females took 5–6 recesses/day, which lasted for an average of 22.7 min each. Variability in incubation behaviour over time was greater within females than among females. Recesses were more frequent, and of longer duration, in the afternoon than at night. Females were also less attentive to their nest as incubation progressed, a consequence of both an increase in recess frequency and duration, except in the days before hatching, when nest attentiveness rose abruptly. The relatively low nest attendance of incubating greater snow geese may be a consequence of the opportunity to feed close to the nest during recesses. Weather parameters influenced movements away from the nests in 11 of the 12 females monitored. Females took more recesses when wind velocity was low and, to a lesser extent, when air temperature and solar radiation were high, but the response was quite variable among females. Although females seem to adjust their behaviour in order to limit egg cooling, variations in risk of predation according to time of day may also influence incubation patterns.