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An Evolutionary Approach to Offspring Desertion in Birds

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Current Ornithology

Part of the book series: Current Ornithology ((CUOR,volume 13))

Abstract

Most parent birds face the decision of whether to spend time and energy caring for their offspring or to conserve their resources to survive and breed later. Should a parent care for the young or desert them? Analyzing this decision is complicated, as the rewards (in terms of reproductive success) depend upon the survival prospects of the offspring, the behavior of the mate, the parent’s chances of surviving and having future reproductive opportunities, and the behavior of other males and females in the population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1UG, England

    Tamás Székely & Alasdair I. Houston

  2. School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TW, England

    James N. Webb & John M. McNamara

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Székely, T., Webb, J.N., Houston, A.I., McNamara, J.M. (1996). An Evolutionary Approach to Offspring Desertion in Birds. In: Nolan, V., Ketterson, E.D. (eds) Current Ornithology. Current Ornithology, vol 13. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5881-1_6

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