Male incubation and biparental care in mountain quail

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Pope, Michael D.; Crawford, John A.

Source:

Condor, Cooper Ornithological Society, Volume 103, Issue 4, p.865-870 (2001)

Call Number:

A01POP01IDUS

URL:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1370122

Keywords:

male incubation, Mountain Quail, Oregon, Oreortyx pictus, reproductive strategies, simultaneous multiple clutching

Abstract:

We examined the reproductive behavior of Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus) in two ecologically different regions of Oregon. We used radio-telemetry to locate 57 Mountain Quail nests and determine breeding behavior and incubation patterns. Mountain Quail appeared socially monogamous and displayed few alternative reproductive strategies; only one bird renested and no birds produced consecutive clutches. Twenty-five of 57 nests were incubated exclusively by males, 30 by females, and two by birds of undetermined sex. We observed no nest switching, and males and females had similar clutch and brood sizes. Males brooded chicks, frequently without female assistance. Within six radio-marked pairs, males and females simultaneously incubated separate nests <200 m apart. The average production by females was 22 eggs (range 19-26) with a mean clutch size of 11 eggs (range 7-15). Simultaneous multiple clutches may enhance the reproductive potential of a species when environmental conditions limit double brooding or renesting, and may increase the likelihood that some broods will survive high levels of nest and brood predation