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Incubation behavior of king eiders on the coastal plain of northern Alaska

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Abstract

Incubating birds balance their energetic demands during incubation with the needs of the developing embryos. Incubation behavior is correlated with body size; larger birds can accumulate more endogenous reserves and maintain higher incubation constancy. King eiders (Somateria spectabilis) contend with variable and cold spring weather, little nesting cover, and low food availability, and thus are likely to rely heavily on endogenous reserves to maintain high incubation constancy. We examined the patterns of nest attendance of king eiders at Teshekpuk and Kuparuk, Alaska (2002–2005) in relation to clutch size, daily temperature, and endogenous reserves to explore factors controlling incubation behavior. Females at Kuparuk had higher constancy (98.5 ± 0.2%, n = 30) than at Teshekpuk (96.9 ± 0.8%, n = 26), largely due to length of recesses. Mean recess length ranged from 21.5 to 23.7 min at Kuparuk, and from 28.5 to 51.2 min at Teshekpuk. Mean body mass on arrival at breeding grounds (range; Teshekpuk 1,541–1,805, Kuparuk 1,616–1,760), and at the end of incubation (Teshekpuk 1,113–1,174, Kuparuk 1,173–1,183), did not vary between sites or among years (F < 1.1, P > 0.3). Daily constancy increased 1% with every 5°C increase in minimum daily temperature (β min = 0.005, 95% CI 0.002, 0.009). Higher constancy combined with similar mass loss at Kuparuk implies that females there met foraging requirements with shorter recesses. Additionally, females took more recesses at low temperatures, suggesting increased maintenance needs which were potentially ameliorated by feeding during these recesses, indicating that metabolic costs and local foraging conditions drove incubation behavior.

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Acknowledgments

This study would not be possible without the financial and logistical support of the Minerals Management Service, Coastal Marine Institute, Bureau of Land Management, ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc., USGS Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Sandpiper Technologies Inc. Funding from the North Slope Borough was through the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Impact Mitigation Program. North Slope Borough Search and Rescue provided some helicopter support. This study was endorsed by the Sea Duck Joint Venture. We thank the administrative staff at the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, ConocoPhillips Inc. Environmental Studies, and all the many field technicians. We thank Lincoln Parrett for access to weather data from the weather station at the Teshekpuk site. Comments by Paul Flint, Alexander Kitaysky, Dana Thomas, Dana Kellett, Sveinn Hanssen, and an anonymous reviewer were greatly appreciated and improved previous versions of the manuscript. Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7220, USA

    Rebecca L. Bentzen, Abby N. Powell & Laura M. Phillips

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7020, USA

    Abby N. Powell

  3. Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7000, USA

    Abby N. Powell

  4. Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough, P.O. Box 69, Barrow, AK, 99723, USA

    Robert S. Suydam

Authors
  1. Rebecca L. Bentzen
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  2. Abby N. Powell
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  4. Robert S. Suydam
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Correspondence to Rebecca L. Bentzen.

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Bentzen, R.L., Powell, A.N., Phillips, L.M. et al. Incubation behavior of king eiders on the coastal plain of northern Alaska. Polar Biol 33, 1075–1082 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0787-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0787-y

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