Comparative productivity of American black ducks and mallards nesting on Chesapeake Bay islands

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Krementz ◽  
Daniel B. Stotts ◽  
Grey W. Pendleton ◽  
James E. Hines ◽  
Vernon Stotts
Keyword(s):  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Anas Platyrhynchos ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Anas Rubripes ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
American Black ◽  
Bay Islands

We estimated laying dates, clutch sizes, and nest success rates of sympatrically breeding populations of American black ducks (Anas rubripes) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) on Chesapeake Bay islands between 1986 and 1989. Neither average laying date nor clutch size differed between black ducks and mallards. Nest success rates were higher for mallards in 2 of 4 years, but were area dependent.

Historical Changes in Laying Date, Clutch Size, and Nest Success of American Black Ducks

1991 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 462 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Krementz ◽  
Vernon D. Stotts ◽  
Daniel B. Stotts ◽  
James E. Hines ◽  
Steven L. Funderburk
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Historical Changes ◽  
American Black

Effects of a carbaryl-induced depression in invertebrate abundance on the growth and behavior of American black duck and mallard ducklings

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 452-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm L. Hunter Jr. ◽  
Jack W. Witham ◽  
Hilary Dow
Keyword(s):  
Active Ingredient ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Anas Platyrhynchos ◽  
Anas Rubripes ◽  
Black Duck ◽  
Invertebrate Abundance ◽  
American Black ◽  
American Black Duck ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Rate Of Movement

Aerially spraying ponds with carbaryl (Sevin-4-oilR) at 840 g active ingredient/ha reduced biomass and numbers of macroinvertebrates and decreased the growth rates of American black duck, Anas rubripes, and mallard. Anas platyrhynchos, ducklings in Maine. Ducklings on sprayed ponds spent more time searching for food and less time resting, and their rate of movement around the ponds was greater than for ducklings on unsprayed ponds.

Reproductive variables of American black ducks along the St. Lawrence estuary, 1963-1991

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 1165-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Bélanger ◽  
Austin Reed ◽  
Jean-Luc DesGranges
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Peat Bogs ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Julian Date ◽  
Black Duck ◽  
American Black ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

We examine data from different surveys conducted from 1963 to 1991 in the Baie de l’Isle Verte National WildlifeArea and the surrounding offshore islands, an approximately 20-km2 coastal segment of the St.Lawrence estuary in Quebec.We summarize data regarding various aspects of the nesting ecology of the American black duck (Anas rubripes) (n = 812nests). Mean laying date, average clutch size, and apparent nesting success did not differ among years (P > 0.05). Black ducksnested earlier on islands (mean Julian date 120.0 vs. 121.3;P = 0.03), but mean clutch size and nesting success on islands didnot differ from those on the mainland (P> 0.05). Among mainland-nesting black ducks, those nesting in mixed stands of treesand bushes initiated nests almost 10 days earlier than those nesting in the two other types of nest cover (mean Julian date 124.0vs. 134.4 and 139.6). Black ducks nesting in such habitats as woodlots, peat bogs, or shrubland laid a larger number of eggsthan those nesting in the two other habitat types (mean 9.7 vs. 8.8 and 9.4). Finally, we observed that nesting success of ducksnesting in woodlots, peat bogs, and shrubland and in mixed stands of trees and bushes or of herbaceous plants and shrubs wasup to three times higher than at other sites (P<= 0.05). We conclude that in addition to protection and restoration of existingislands, more emphasis should be placed on conserving peat bogs, coniferous woodlots, and shrubland, because they alsoconstitute good mainland-nesting habitat for black ducks along the St. Lawrence estuary.

scholarly journals Continuous Laying and Clutch-Size Limitation in Mallards

The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 261-266
Author(s):  
Todd W. Arnold ◽  
David W. Howerter ◽  
James H. Devries ◽  
Brian L. Joynt ◽  
Robert B. Emery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Anas Platyrhynchos ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Large Component ◽  
Egg Formation ◽  
Size Limitation

Abstract We assessed nutritional constraints on clutch size in Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) by observing incidence and consequences of continuous laying—the sequential production of eggs in two or more nest bowls. Continuous laying behavior was detected in 278 of 3,064 radiotracked Mallards (9.1%). Continuous laying females produced an average of 12.12 total eggs (SD = 2.70, range 5–18, n = 69), versus 8.90 eggs for normal nesting females (SD = 1.67, range 4–14, n = 587). On average, continuous laying females were 25 g heavier than noncontinuous laying females, and body mass was positively correlated with egg production among continuous laying females. Nest success was not affected by continuous laying, but continuous laying females that abandoned their nests were more likely to be young or to have laid a greater number of eggs. A large component of the breeding Mallard population can lay more eggs than they typically do, and there appear to be minimal consequences of that behavior. These observations appear inconsistent with the egg-formation hypothesis.

American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry R. Longcore ◽  
Daniel G. McAuley ◽  
Gary R. Hepp ◽  
Judith M. Rhymer
Keyword(s):  
Anas Rubripes ◽  
Black Duck ◽  
American Black ◽  
American Black Duck

scholarly journals Temporal changes in reproductive success and optimal breeding decisions in a long-distance migratory bird

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Reséndiz-Infante ◽  
Gilles Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Breeding Phenology ◽  
Additional Time ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Seasonal Decline

AbstractMany avian migrants have not adjusted breeding phenology to climate warming resulting in negative consequences for their offspring. We studied seasonal changes in reproductive success of the greater snow goose (Anser caerulescens atlantica), a long-distance migrant. As the climate warms and plant phenology advances, the mismatch between the timing of gosling hatch and peak nutritive quality of plants will increase. We predicted that optimal laying date yielding highest reproductive success occurred earlier over time and that the seasonal decline in reproductive success increased. Over 25 years, reproductive success of early breeders increased by 42%, producing a steeper seasonal decline in reproductive success. The difference between the laying date producing highest reproductive success and the median laying date of the population increased, which suggests an increase in the selection pressure for that trait. Observed clutch size was lower than clutch size yielding the highest reproductive success for most laying dates. However, at the individual level, clutch size could still be optimal if the additional time required to acquire nutrients to lay extra eggs is compensated by a reduction in reproductive success due to a delayed laying date. Nonetheless, breeding phenology may not respond sufficiently to meet future environmental changes induced by warming temperatures.

The costs of reproduction in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 2540-2547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel T. Wheelwright ◽  
Joanna Leary ◽  
Caragh Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Costs Of Reproduction ◽  
Return Rates ◽  
Trade Offs

We investigated the effect of brood size on nestling growth and survival, parental survival, and future fecundity in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) over a 4-year period (1987–1990) in an effort to understand whether reproductive trade-offs limit clutch size in birds. In addition to examining naturally varying brood sizes in a population on Kent Island, New Brunswick, Canada, we experimentally modified brood sizes, increasing or decreasing the reproductive burdens of females by two offspring. Unlike previous studies, broods of the same females were enlarged or reduced in up to 3 successive years in a search for evidence of cumulative costs of reproduction that might go undetected by a single brood manipulation. Neither observation nor experiment supported the existence of a trade-off between offspring quality and quantity, in contrast with the predictions of life-history theory. Nestling wing length, mass, and tarsus length were unrelated to brood size. Although differences between means were in the direction predicted, few differences were statistically significant, despite large sample sizes. Nestlings from small broods were no more likely to return as breeding adults than nestlings from large broods, but return rates of both groups were very low. Parental return rates were also independent of brood size, and there was no evidence of a negative effect of brood size on future fecundity (laying date, clutch size). Reproductive success, nestling size, and survival did not differ between treatments for females whose broods were manipulated in successive years. Within the range of brood sizes observed in this study, the life-history costs of feeding one or two additional nestlings in tree swallows appear to be slight and cannot explain observed clutch sizes. Costs not measured in this study, such as the production of eggs or postfledging parental care, may be more important in limiting clutch size in birds.

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