Nesting Effort of Northern Pintails in Alberta

• Published in: The Condor
• Main Authors: Guyn, Karla L., Clark, Robert G.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2000
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Anas acuta
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/102.3.619; http://academic.oup.com/condor/article-pdf/102/3/619/29709953/condor0619.pdf

Abstract We studied nesting effort and success of Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) in southern Alberta. Annual nesting success estimates ranged from 6–18%. Clutch size averaged 7.2, and declined in a simple curvilinear fashion with nest initiation date. We found no relationship between egg size and clutch size or evidence from one year to the next of a trade-off between current and future investment in eggs. Within-year renesting rate ranged from 55%, based on a sample of 20 decoy-trapped females that lost their first nests to predators, to 85% based on a sample of 13 nest-trapped females forced to renest when we removed their clutches. Greater investment in initial clutches led to longer delays in laying replacement clutches. Because delays in renesting are costly (late-nesting females produce fewer offspring), females must contend with a trade-off between maximizing reproductive output in initial clutches versus the risk of delayed renesting if the first clutch should fail. We suggest that pintail reproductive traits have evolved primarily in response to short nesting seasons and variable environments.