Effect of Foraging and Nest Defense Tradeoffs on the Reproductive Success of Wood Storks (Mycteria americana)

Abstract

In many species of birds, parental care is provided by both parents to maximize offspring survival, and there may be important trade-offs between maximizing food gathering and nest protection during the nesting period. The role of parental care in determining reproductive success was investigated in Wood Storks (Mycteria americana), and specifically how the trade-off between frequency and duration of foraging trips and nest protection contributed to the nesting outcome. Parental behavior of 85 pairs of Wood Storks was monitored throughout the nesting season in two breeding colonies in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. Wood Storks gradually increased the frequency, but not the duration, of foraging trips as chicks developed. The ratio of hatchlings to fledglings was positively associated with the frequency of foraging trips during late chick development. Intra-specific aggressions resulting in nest takeovers affected 32% of the nests. Occurrence of nest takeovers were higher for later-breeding pairs, and happened primarily in the first few weeks of incubation, but was not affected by the degree of joint nest attendance of both parents. These results establish a functional link between parental effort and reproductive outcome in Wood Storks, and highlight the importance of frequent foraging trips, but not nest attendance, by parents.