Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

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Lessells C.M. (1987) Parental investment, brood size and time budgets: behaviour of Lesser Snow Goose families. ARDEA 75 (2): 189-203
Time budgets and spatial organization of families of Lesser Snow Geese Anser c. caerulescens with 0-17 day old goslings were measured at La Perouse Bay, Manitoba. Behaviour was analyzed for seasonal variation and variation with brood size. Time budgets of both adults and goslings, and the spatial organization of broods varied seasonally. Brooding and feeding rates of both adults and goslings, and time budgets of goslings did not vary with brood size. The amount of sitting by parents declined with increasing brood size. The spatial organization of broods also changed with brood size; the minimum adult-gosling distance decreased, and the maximum adult-gosling distance increased, with increasing brood size. Comparisons between parents and non-breeders were restricted by the small sample size of non-breeders. Non-breeders stood and fed more, and sat and used the posture extreme head up less, than parents. Female parents fed for a greater proportion of the time than male parents, but pecking rates during feeding were equal in the two sexes. Discussion of the relationships between parental investment and time budgets shows that the identification of components of parental investment from time budgets should be approached with caution.


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