Synchrony in egg-laying and reproductive success of neighboring common murres, Uria aalge

1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. Murphy ◽  
J. H. Schauer
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Common Murres

Extra-pair copulations in common murres I: a mate attraction strategy?

Behaviour ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 143 (10) ◽  
pp. 1241-1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen L. Cameron-Macmillan ◽  
Carolyn J. Walsh ◽  
Sabina I. Wilhelm ◽  
Anne E. Storey
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Mate Attraction ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Socially Monogamous ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Breeding Seasons

AbstractWe investigated the behavioural context of pair (PCs) and extra-pair copulations (EPCs) in individually-marked socially-monogamous, long-lived seabirds, common murres (Uria aalge). Since forced EPCs have been documented for this species, we first examined which sex controls successful (cloacal contact achieved) copulation. The finding that all successful copulations required female cooperation and crouching suggested that benefits of successful EPCs accrue primarily to females. In a group of murres for which paternity analyses indicated no extra-pair paternity, behavioural observations over five breeding seasons showed that individual females engaged in EPCs primarily under two circumstances: (1) before they were reunited with their mates, and (2) when they were in the process of re-pairing. There was no such relationship between EPCs and re-pairing for males. Successful EPCs occurred with familiar neighboring males of apparent high quality, indicated by their high ledge attendance and prior reproductive success rates. Thus, EPCs may be used by females to attract potential high quality mates in situations where females are attempting to re-pair as a result of divorce or mate death.

Ecological relationships between Common Murres, Uria aalge, and Thick-billed Murres, Uria lomvia, at the Gannet Islands, Labrador. I. Morphometrics and timing of breeding

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 1621-1629 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Birkhead ◽  
D. N. Nettleship
Keyword(s):  
Egg Laying ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Uria Lomvia ◽  
Ecological Relationships ◽  
Ice Breakup ◽  
Common Murre ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Adult Body Weight ◽  
One Year

Several aspects of the breeding biology of Common Murres (Uria aalge) and Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) in 1981–1983, at the Gannet Islands, Labrador, are described. At this colony there were ca. 60 000 pairs of Common Murres, and 1400 pairs of Thick-billed Murres. Common Murres were slightly heavier and had significantly shorter wings, and longer, narrower bills than Thick-billed Murres. The timing of egg laying varied between years (late breeding in one year was associated with late ice breakup), but the median laying date of Common Murres was consistently earlier (by up to 10 days) than that of Thick-billed Murres. For both species median laying dates fell between mid and late June each year. Common Murre eggs were larger and relatively longer than Thick-billed Murre eggs, but in both species fresh egg weight was about 11% of adult body weight. Incubation periods were similar in each species (33 days), but chick-rearing periods were longer in Common Murres (24 days) than in Thick-billed Murres (21 days) in all years. Seasonal patterns of colony attendance were broadly similar in the two species each year, except that Common Murres showed a consistent increase in numbers between laying and chick departure, and tended to remain at the colony for less time after chicks had departed compared with Thick-billed Murres. All birds of both species left the colony by mid-September each year.

Ecological relationships between two sympatric congeneric species, Common Murres and Thick-billed Murres, Uria aalge and U. lomvia, breeding in the Barents Sea

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 618-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. T. Barrett ◽  
M. Asheim ◽  
V. Bakken
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Breeding Ecology ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Common Murre ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus

Concurrent studies of the breeding ecology of Common Murres and Thick-billed Murres, Uria aalge and U. lomvia, on Hornøya, a colony in northern Norway, showed significant differences between the species in the timing of egg laying but no consistent differences in food choice, feeding frequency and rhythm, dive depth, or chick growth. Both species fed their chicks on capelin, Mallotus villosus, sand lance Ammodytes sp., and herring Clupea harengus. However, on Bear Island in the Barents Sea, the diet differed significantly, with Common Murre chicks being fed nearly exclusively capelin while Thick-billed Murre chicks received capelin, squid Gonatus fabricii, Arctic cod, Boreogadus saida, sculpins (Cottidae), shannies Lumpenus sp., and eelpouts (Zoarcidae). The lack of dietary segregation on Hornøya was in strong contrast with the results of earlier studies of sympatrically breeding murres and was probaby due to a near superabundance of food around the colony.

scholarly journals Ecological interactions and habitat modification in nesting Common Murres, Uria aalge

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia K. Parrish ◽  
Robert T. Paine
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Haliaeetus Leucocephalus ◽  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Bald Eagles ◽  
Predator Removal ◽  
Common Murre ◽  
Corvus Caurinus ◽  
Common Murres

SummarySeabird populations suffer from a variety of natural and human-induced sources of mortality and loss of lifetime reproductive output. On the outer coast of Washington State, Common Murre Uria aalge populations have been in decline for approximately the last decade and are currently reproductively active only at Tatoosh Island. These murres nest in two basic habitat types: crevices (25% of the population) and larger cliff-top subcolonies (75%). Murres in cliff-top subcolonies have suffered dramatic reductions in reproductive success in recent years relative to conspecifics nesting in the crevices, primarily due to egg predation by Glaucous-winged Gulls Larus glaucescens and Northwestern Crows Corvus caurinus, facilitated by the presence of Bald Eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Because predator removal is not feasible and creation of additional crevice habitat is difficult, expensive and potentially ineffective, we have designed a temporary habitat modification (the “silk forest”) which replaces the natural vegetation cover and modifies the interaction between murres and eagles. Within the test subcolony, murres nesting under and immediately adjacent to the silk forest produced nearly twice as many eggs per square metre as their conspecifics nesting in adjacent exposed-ground areas.

Breeding biology of the Critically Endangered Tahiti MonarchPomarea nigra, a bird with a low productivity

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 606-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAROLINE BLANVILLAIN ◽  
THOMAS GHESTEMME ◽  
TEHANI WITHERS ◽  
MARK O’BRIEN
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Breeding Biology ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Tropical Island ◽  
Island Endemics ◽  
Nest Activity ◽  
Considerable Length ◽  
One Year

SummaryWe studied the breeding biology of Tahiti MonarchPomarea nigra, a ‘Critically Endangered’ forest bird endemic to Tahiti (French Polynesia). Nest activity was monitored from 1998 to 2002, and again from 2008 to 2015. During these 12 years, only 2–13 breeding pairs per year produced hatchlings. Egg-laying occurred all year, but usually increased between August and January, peaking around November. Of the 200 nests monitored, 33 (16%) were abandoned shortly after construction, 71 had an egg laid immediately after the nest were completed (34 %) and 96 nests (46 %) had a pre-incubation phase of 18.9 ± 1.9 days (3–62 days;n= 47 nests), during which the birds visited the nest on an irregular basis. Half (49 of 96) of these nests were abandoned before an egg was laid, with incubation subsequently commencing at the remaining nests (n= 47). Although both sexes incubated for an average of 13.6 ± 0.3 days (range 13–15), the female usually spent more time incubating than the male. Only one young per nest was ever observed. The average nestling phase was 15.5 ± 0.7 days (range 13 to 20 days). Parents continue to feed the young after fledging for 74 ± 4.7 days (range 42–174). As with many tropical island endemics, the Tahiti Monarch has low reproductive productivity as indicated by the fact that: 1) only 56% of pairs attempt to lay an egg in any one year, 2) most pairs attempt only one brood per year and 3) the considerable length of the nesting and fledging phases. Because of its low productivity, maximising the reproductive success of the Tahiti Monarch is essential to secure its recovery.

Female, but not male, agonistic behaviour is associated with male reproductive success in stable bluebanded goby (Lythrypnus dalli) hierarchies

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 151 (10) ◽  
pp. 1367-1387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tessa K. Solomon-Lane ◽  
Madelyne C. Willis ◽  
Devaleena S. Pradhan ◽  
Matthew S. Grober
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Dominant Male ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Agonistic Behaviour ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Evolution Of Sociality ◽  
Lythrypnus Dalli ◽  
Linear Hierarchies ◽  
Substantial Control

In many social species, there are important connections between social behaviour and reproduction that provide critical insights into the evolution of sociality. In this study, we describe associations between agonistic behaviour and male reproductive success in stable social groups of bluebanded gobies (Lythrypnus dalli). This highly social, sex-changing species forms linear hierarchies of a dominant male and multiple subordinate females. Males reproduce with each female in the harem and care for the eggs. Since aggression tends to be associated with reduced reproduction in social hierarchies, we hypothesized that males in groups with high rates of aggression would fertilise fewer eggs. We also hypothesized that a male’s agonistic behaviour would be associated with his reproductive success. Dominants often exert substantial control over their harem, including control over subordinate reproduction. To address these hypotheses, we quantified egg laying/fertilisation over 13 days and observed agonistic behaviour. We show that there was a significant, negative association between male reproductive success and the total rate agonistic interactions by a group. While no male behaviours were associated with the quantity of eggs fertilised, female agonistic behaviour may be central to male reproductive success. We identified a set of models approximating male reproductive success that included three female behaviours: aggression by the highest-ranking female and approaches by the lowest-ranking female were negatively associated with the quantity of eggs fertilised by males in their groups, but the efficiency with which the middle-ranking female displaced others was positively associated with this measure. These data provide a first step in elucidating the behavioural mechanisms that are associated with L. dalli reproductive success.

Exceptional variation in the appearance of Common Murre eggs reveals their potential as identity signals

The Auk ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim R Birkhead ◽  
Jamie E Thompson ◽  
Amelia R Cox ◽  
Robert D Montgomerie
Keyword(s):  
Uria Aalge ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Breeding Group ◽  
Common Murre ◽  
Trimodal Distribution ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Egg Traits ◽  
Breeding Groups ◽  
Different Parts

Abstract We studied the ground colors and maculations of 161 Common Murre (Uria aalge) eggs laid by 43 females in 3 small breeding groups on the cliffs of Skomer Island, Wales, in 2016–2018. Both the colors and maculations varied much more among than within females, providing quantitative evidence for the egg traits that might facilitate the parents’ ability to identify their own eggs on the crowded breeding ledges where the density is typically ~20 eggs m–2. Ground colors had a trimodal distribution of hue values (whitish to pale brown, pale blue, or vivid blue-green) and maculations ranged from none to complex squiggles and blotches. The eggs laid by each female in different years were similar to one another, and replacement eggs laid by females within years were also more similar to their first egg than to other eggs in the same breeding group. Egg appearance did not differ among the 3 breeding groups that we studied. Our findings thus support anecdotal observations that, within and between years, female Common Murres lay eggs that have similar ground colors and maculations. We do not, however, find evidence that there is much difference among the eggs laid in different parts of a colony.

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