Chick provisioning by common terns in the southern Gulf of Maine, U.S.A.

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Rossell, Jr., C Reed, Hamilton, Christine D, Weber, Louise M, Kress, Stephen W
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2000
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Stratton Island; Sterna hirundo
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z99-184; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z99-184

We examined chick provisioning by common terns (Sterna hirundo) in relation to hatching order, chick stage, and weather on Stratton Island, Maine, U.S.A., during the summer of 1997. Provisioning rates, recorded at 10 nests during 30-min observation sessions (n = 256), were calculated for first-, second-, and third-hatched chicks in three age-classes (1-5, 6-10, and 11-15 days). Mean provisioning rates did not differ significantly with hatching order of chicks. However, a trend toward differential provisioning was evident during the earliest chick stage. Mean provisioning rates increased significantly from age-classs 1 to 2 and decreased significantly from age-classes 2 to 3. Weather had no significant effects on provisioning rates, owing to the unusually mild and consistent conditions. These results indicate that during the earliest chick stage, older siblings in a brood may have an advantage in obtaining food, even when weather conditions are highly favorable for provisioning chicks.