Body Mass of Long-Tailed Ducks (Clangula Hyemalis) During Incubation

• Published in: The Auk
• Main Authors: Kellett, Dana K., Alisauskas, Ray T., Mehl, Katherine R., Drake, Kiel L., Traylor, Joshua J., Lawson, Shona L.
• Other Authors: Haukos, D. A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2005
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Arctic; Somateria spectabilis
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/auk/122.1.313; http://academic.oup.com/auk/article-pdf/122/1/313/29689260/auk0313.pdf

Abstract We investigated body-mass dynamics during incubation of Long-tailed Ducks (Clangula hyemalis) nesting in Canada’s central Arctic, 1998–2003. Long-tailed Duck females (n = 37) lost 7% of pre-incubation body mass during incubation; on average, females weighed 618 ± 15 g (mean ± SE) at clutch completion and 575 ± 11 g at hatch. Given the differences in body size, Long-tailed Ducks relied less on endogenous reserves than sympatric King Eiders (Somateria spectabilis), but lost less mass than similar-sized waterfowl species nesting in temperate climates. Preliminary data suggest that Long-tailed Ducks maintain similar or higher nest-attendance rates than temperate-nesting waterfowl of similar size, and we suggest that access to locally abundant, high-quality foods enable Long-tailed Duck females to maintain high incubation constancy without sacrificing female body condition. Nevertheless, Long-tailed Ducks appear to differ widely from most Arctic-nesting waterfowl in nutritional strategy for nesting. Masse corporelle chez l’Harelde kakawi (Clangula hyemalis) au cours de l’incubation