Why parent birds play favourites

Scott Forbes (), Suzanne Thornton, Barb Glassey, Margaret Forbes and Neil J. Buckley
Additional contact information
Scott Forbes: Department of Biology
Suzanne Thornton: Department of Biology
Barb Glassey: University of Manitoba
Margaret Forbes: University of Oklahoma
Neil J. Buckley: University of Oklahoma

Nature, 1997, vol. 390, issue 6658, 351-352

Abstract: Abstract Most birds hatch their broods asynchronously, which leads to reduced growth and higher mortality of last-hatched nestlings1,2,3. Why parent birds confer handicaps on some of their progeny, and advantages on others, remains controversial, although a consensus is emerging that there is no single adaptive explanation2,3. Our studies of red-winged blackbirds provide confirmation of an insurance hypothesis4,5,6,7,8,9 where the marginal offspring created by hatching asynchrony serve as replacements for failed earlier-hatched or ‘core’ offspring.

Date: 1997
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DOI: 10.1038/37025

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