Abstract
ABSTRACT Courtship and copulation constitute crucial elements of avian reproduction and fitness. Despite the potential impact of environmental perturbations and long-term climate change on avian reproduction, few studies provide quantitative information on courtship and copulation behaviors and their responses to proximate environmental factors. We provide the first quantitative description of courtship and copulation behavior in Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens), an important indicator species of marine environmental quality in North America's Pacific Northwest. Male and female Glaucous-winged Gulls exhibited similar frequencies of most pre- and post-mount behaviors, which closely resemble those used by other larids. Mounts were more frequent than expected during the pre-egg-laying and egg-laying stages of the breeding season and less frequent than expected during the incubation stage. In 2008, numbers of successful copulations vs. unsuccessful copulations, numbers of cloacal contacts per success...
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