Abstract
Abstract Many bird eggs lose ∼15% of their fresh mass before pipping, but individual species have been reported to lose 10–23%. Most published estimates have been imprecise due to small sample sizes. Moreover, published estimates of within- or among-species variance components of mass loss are virtually unknown. We modeled the influence of nest type, clutch size, and egg size on daily mass loss of Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), and Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) eggs and compared fractional mass loss among species. Mallard eggs in artificial nest cylinders lost more mass than those in ground nests, but were unaffected by nest initiation date. Average-sized eggs in Mallard ground nests, Mallard cylinder nests, and Common Goldeneye and Hooded Merganser nest boxes lost 7.9 g (15.2%), 10.8 g (20.3%), 10.3 g (15.5%), and 9.2 g (15.8%) of fresh mass, respectively. For all species, daily mass loss increased as incubation progressed and was affected by an interactio...
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