Incubation strategy and hatching start time affect the duration of the nestling period in precocial Arctic-breeding sandpipers
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: In bird species with precocial development, i.e. chicks acquire abilities to leave the nest soon after hatching, the nestling period during which parents warm their young in the nest by brooding them is short but critical to breeding success. The duration of the nestling period (DNP) depends on the hatching synchrony of eggs and the speed at which chicks acquire these abilities but may be indirectly affected by parental behaviour and temporal variations in temperature and predation. We assessed the effects of incubation strategy (bi- or uniparental), hatching start time, incubation initiation date and predation risk on the DNP in Arctic-breeding sandpipers. We found that the DNP was longer in biparental species (29.75 ± 8.95 h) compared with uniparental ones (25.82 ± 6.87 h) and was extended in nests where chicks began hatching during the colder 'night' hours. No effect of incubation initiation date or predation pressure was found on the DNP. We suggest that parental investment strategies and constraints related to circadian variations in temperature in chicks drive the DNP in Arctic-breeding sandpipers. These results help us better understand how different species may exhibit different behavioural responses during nesting to impending climate change.
Source: Biology Letters
Authors: Thomas Pagnon, François-Xavier Dechaume-Moncharmont, Anders Angerbjörn, Joël Bêty, Julien Bouvet, Glen S. Brown, Eric Buchel, Dorothee Ehrich, Léa Etchart, Ivan Fufachev, Jannik Hansen, Richard B. Lanctot, Johannes Lang, Christopher J. Latty, Nicolas Lecomte, Laura McKinnon, Jérôme Moreau, Jeroen Reneerkens, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Brigitte Sabard, Niels M. Schmidt, Benoit Sittler, Paul A. Smith, Aleksandr Sokolov, Vasiliy Sokolov, Natalia Sokolova, Rob S. A. van Bemmelen, Glenn Yannic, Loïc Bollache, Olivier Gilg
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Groupe de Recherche en Écologie Arctique, Université Marie et Louis Pasteur, Lyon 1 Université, Stockholm University, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Université de Moncton, Russian Academy of Sciences, Aarhus University, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, York University, York University, La Rochelle Université, University of Groningen, University of Freiburg, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Bourgogne Europe
Language: English
Topic: Avian ecology and behavior
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7154302992