Interspecific feeding
Interspecific feeding refers to behaviour reported in wild animals, particularly birds where adults of one species feed the young of another species. This usually excludes the case of birds feeding brood parasites. The behaviour has been of theoretical interest since it appears to be provide little evolutionary benefit to the feeding bird.[1][2][3][4] Some researchers have suggested that it is mainly male birds that are lured into feeding a fledgling that begs.[5][6][7][8][9]
Such behaviour is also related to alloparenting, cross-fostering and brood adoption. Several situations have been suggested that lead to this including:[2]
- bird raised in a mixed clutch
- the original nest and brood of bird destroyed
- nests in very close proximity
- calling of young birds stimulates behaviour
- orphaned birds adopted temporarily or permanently
- a male bird feeding another species while mate incubated
- feeding bird is mateless and finds a mateless bird at nest
Shy (1982) listed 65 species of birds involved in interspecific feeding. Riedman (1982) listed 150 species of birds that adopted young that did not belong to themselves.[10]
SHY (1982)also showed a Yellowhammer feeding a juvenile of another species, as well as the first case of a Great Grey Shrike being fed by a heterospecific adult. Yellowhammers are common prey of Great Grey Shrikes in the study area according to shy's studies. Canada shows cases of interspecific feeding on juveniles of another species according to shy. Yellowhammers are smaller than young Great Grey Shrikes. Young great grey shrikes have blazing characteristics related with begging behaviour yellow corners of the bill, bright orange mouth, combined with wing waving and intensive calls. An accelerated begging shrike fledgling could enact a normal charge for the Yellowhammer older ones that might have been lately feeding their little ones, and the two species begin to forage the shrike fledgling and carry on doing this for three hours.
[edit] Reference
- EMLEN S. T. 1991. Evolution of cooperative breeding in birds and mammals. In: Behavioral Ecology:
An Evolutionary Approach (KREBS J. R., DAVIES N. B., eds.), pp. 301337, Blackwell Scientific, Oxford.
- HROMADA M., TRYJANOWSKI P., ANTCZAK M. 2001. Presence of the Great Grey Shrike Lanius
excubitor affects breeding passerine assemblage. Ann. Zool. Fennici 39: 125130.
[edit] References
- ^ McNair, D B & Bill Duyck (1991). "Interspecific feeding among some Oscines". Chat 55 (1). http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/chat/issues/1991/v55n1interspecific.pdf.
- ^ a b Shy, Marilyn Muszalski (1982). "Interspecific feeding among birds: A review". J. Field Ornithol. 53 (4): 370–393. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/JFO/v053n04/p0370-p0393.pdf.
- ^ Drozdz, R, M. Hromada, Pyotr Tryjanowski (2004). "Interspecific feeding of a Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) fledgling by adult Yellowhammers (Emberiza citrinella).". Biol. Lett. 41 (2): 185–187. ftp://80.57.161.240/artikelen/G/Geelgors1.pdf.
- ^ Avita, Eytan; Eva Jablonka & Michael Lachmann (1998). "Adopting adoption". Anim. Behav. 55 (6): 1451–1459. doi:10.1006/anbe.1998.0729. PMID 9641990. http://email.eva.mpg.de/~lachmann/papers/adoption.pdf.
- ^ Berggren, Asa (2006). "Intraspecific adoption and foster feeding of fledglings in the North Island robin". New Zealand Journal of Ecology 30 (2): 209–217. http://www.nzes.org.nz/nzje/free_issues/NZJEcol30_2_209.pdf.
- ^ Lozano,GA & RE Lemon (1998). "Adoption of yellow warbler nestlings by song sparrows". Wilson Bulletin 110 (1): 131–133.
- ^ Southern, J. (1952). "Spotted Flycatcher feeding nestling blackbirds". British Birds 45: 366.
- ^ Watson, J. W., M. Davison, and L. L. Leschner (1993). "Bald Eagles rear Red-tailed Hawks". J. Raptor Res. 27: 126–127. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/jrr/v027n02/p00126-p00127.pdf.
- ^ Eddinger, CR (1970). "The White-eye as an interspecific feeding helper". Condor 72 (2): 240. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v072n02/p0240-p0240.pdf.
- ^ Riedman, Marianne L. (1982). "The Evolution of Alloparental Care and Adoption in Mammals and Birds". The Quarterly Review of Biology 57 (4): 405–435. doi:10.1086/412936. http://www.jstor.org/pss/2826887.
