Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

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Kalas J.A. (1986) Incubation schedules in different parental care systems in the Dotterel Charadrius morinellus. ARDEA 74 (2): 185-190
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Incubation schedules in the following three categories of Dotterel Charadrius morinellus parental care systems were studied: 1) male incubating alone, 2) male and female incubating together, and 3) female incubating alone (experimental). Incubation started when the first egg was laid, and attendance increased during the egg-laying period until reaching about 90% as the clutch was completed. There was a significant decrease in attendance during the incubation period and this was achieved by an increase in number of periods off the nest/day. No significant difference in attendance was found between the different categories during the incubation period, and the diurnal/nocturnal incubation rhythm was also uniform across categories. Examination of length and daily number of periods off the nest revealed significant differences neither between nests nor between categories. Nests were not more likely to be lost as a result of having only a single incubator.


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