Abstract
An examination of the prey size of 101 altricial bird species showed large interspecific differences in the gross energetic content of the prey items. These differences in prey size were related to variation in reproductive strategies of this group. In accordance with the argument presented by the English ecologist C. Elton, a lesser amount of food was brought to the nest in taxa of altricial birds specializing on small prey items. However, this relation disappeared after controlling for the effects of body weight. Two changes are likely to evolve as a response to a reduced ability by the parents to provision their offspring. A decrease can occur either in the clutch size or in the growth rate of the nestlings. The comparative analyses showed, after controlling for the effects of body weight and phylogeny, that in altricial birds a smaller clutch size was found in those species specializing on small prey items, whereas growth varied independently of prey weight.
Published Version
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