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Why parent birds play favourites

Nature volume 390, pages 351–352 (1997)Cite this article

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.

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Figure 1: Mortality of core and marginal offspring.
Figure 2: Effects of core and marginal brood reductions and enlargements on core and marginal chick mortality.

References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, 515 Portage Avenue

    Scott Forbes & Suzanne Thornton

  2. University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, R3B 2E9, Manitoba, Canada

    Scott Forbes & Suzanne Thornton

  3. Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, 73019, Oklahoma, USA

    Margaret Forbes & Neil J. Buckley

  4. Department of Zoology, University of Manitoba, Winniping, R3T 2N2, Manitoba, Canada

    Barb Glassey

Authors
  1. Scott Forbes
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  2. Suzanne Thornton
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  3. Barb Glassey
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  4. Margaret Forbes
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  5. Neil J. Buckley
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Forbes, S., Thornton, S., Glassey, B. et al. Why parent birds play favourites. Nature 390, 351–352 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/37025

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