Parental Infanticide Research Articles

Parental infanticide and cannibalism by the Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata)

Filial cannibalism (cannibalistic infanticide) is a common strategy among raptors though rare among other groups of birds. We describe the first case of possible parental infanticide followed by cannibalism by an adult and nestmates of Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata) in a brood of 3 in the Cerrado (savanna-like) ecosystem. A 20 min video recording showed a possible parent killing and eviscerating 1 of its nestlings and subsequently feeding it to the other 2 nestmates. This new record of brood reduction for wild Cariamidae might be a common behavior in both species of the family and may increase food availability and survival of the larger nestlings.

First case of late parental infanticide in birds

espanolThe first case of late parental infanticide in birds is reported. On June 29, 2017, an adult white stork attacked and threw one of the nestlings out of the nest when it was around 53 days old. It is suggested that the death of one parent may have been the cause of this late brood reduction euskaraHegaztien arteko gurasoen infantizidio berantiarraren lehenengo kasua azaltzen da. 2017ko ekainaren 29an, zikoina zuri heldu batek eraso egin zion 53 egun inguru zituen bere txito bati, habiatik bota zuen arte. Kumaldi murrizketa berantiar honen zergatia guraso baten heriotza izan daitekeela iradokitzen da. EnglishSe notifica el primer caso de infanticidio parental tardio registrado en aves. El 29 de junio de 2017 una ciguena blanca adulta ataca hasta arrojarlo del nido a uno de sus pollos cuando este tenia alrededor de 53 dias de edad. Se sugiere que la muerte de uno de los progenitores podria ser la causa de esta reduccion tardia de la nidada.

A genetic system for biasing the sex ratio in mice.

Biasing the sex ratio of populations of different organisms, including plants, insects, crustacean, and fish, has been demonstrated by genetic and non-genetic approaches. However, biasing the sex ratio of mammalian populations has not been demonstrated genetically. Here, we provide a first proof of concept for such a genetic system in mammals by crossing two genetically engineered mouse lines. The maternal line encodes a functional Cas9 protein on an autosomal chromosome, whereas the paternal line encodes guide RNAs on the Y chromosome targeting vital mouse genes. After fertilization, the presence of both the Y-encoded guide RNAs from the paternal sperm and the Cas9 protein from the maternal egg targets the vital genes in males. We show that these genes are specifically targeted in males and that this breeding consequently self-destructs solely males. Our results pave the way for a genetic system that allows biased sex production of livestock.

An observation of parental infanticide in Dickcissels (Spiza americana): video evidence and potential mechanisms

ABSTRACT Brood reduction by parents via infanticide is considered rare in passerine birds; however, this behavior may be underreported because of the difficulties observing behaviors at the nest and because researchers tend to attribute partial nestling loss to other causes. Here, we report a confirmed incidence of parental infanticide by Dickcissels (Spiza americana). While video-recording parental behavior, we documented a 4-day-old nestling being removed by a female Dickcissel. This bird was also observed brooding and feeding, so this event was likely a parental infanticide. We subsequently examined monitoring data from 162 hatched Dickcissel nests across 2 breeding seasons to identify instances of unexplained partial nestling loss, which could potentially be attributable to infanticide. Our data indicate that 9.1–12.7% of hatched nests experienced these events. Infanticide by genetic parents could (1) benefit survival of remaining brood mates by reducing food requirements, disease, or predation risk; ...

Siblicide, Parental Infanticide, and Cannibalism at a Northern Goshawk Nest

Siblicide, Parental Infanticide, and Cannibalism at a Northern Goshawk Nest

Infanticide in a Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus)

ABSTRACT We documented an occurrence of infanticide on a young nestling Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) while conducting a nest camera study on this critically endangered songbird in south-central Florida. The live nestling was removed from the nest by an adult and died on the ground within 5 hrs of eviction. We suspect that this was a case of parental infanticide based on the behaviors of the infanticidal adult, which were consistent with the breeding female at this nest. The adaptive or nonadaptive motivations for the deliberate eviction of a live nestling remain unknown. This is the first report of infanticide in the Grasshopper Sparrow and the genus Ammodramus.

Parental infanticide in birds through early eviction from the nest: rare or under‐reported?

Avian parental infanticide is apparently a rare phenomenon judging from the scant reports in the literature. However, unexplained cases of single nestling disappearance or of apparent fall from the nest are rather common and are routinely attributed to parental eviction of dead nestlings, single chick predation or dislodging of nestlings through errors by nestlings or parents. During long‐term studies of pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca in central Spain 29 cases of eviction from the nest cup of mostly hatchlings or small, heterothermic nestlings were recorded, leading invariably and quickly to death. Parental errors and failed attempts to predate single chicks are unlikely in these cases. Although the incidence of recorded evictions was mostly below 5% of nests, it reached higher levels in years and populations where reproductive success was low. Some cases were preceded by prior egg eviction. In these studies, there were unexplained disappearances affecting 3.7% of eggs laid which amounted to 20% of all losses. During studies of three other passerine cavity nesting species, similar cases were observed. The rarity of reports of parentally evicted nestlings is apparently based on the difficulty of directly observing parents evicting live nestlings but may also be due to observer bias as ejections of dead nestlings, erroneous dislodgings or single‐chick predation events are also rarely observed but are normally given as reasons for single‐chick losses. Field researchers should attempt to determine the real causes of partial brood loss before assuming that parsimony excludes parental infanticide through eviction.

Parental Infanticide by Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) During Nest Defense

BioOne (www.bioone.org) is an electronic aggregator of bioscience research content,and the online home to over 160 journals and books published by not-for-profitsocieties, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associatedcontent indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available atwww.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use.Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, andnon-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests shouldbe directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder.

Parental Infanticide Followed by Cannibalism in Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)

Parental Infanticide Followed by Cannibalism in Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)

Do white stork (Ciconia ciconia) parents exert control over food distribution when feeding is indirect?

Intra-brood food distribution in altricial birds can strongly affect nestling competitive hierarchies and subsequent brood reduction. Food allocation patterns result from scramble competitions among the nestlings, various forms of parental favoritism, and/or agonistic interactions among nestlings. Food allocation is related to agonistic interactions among nestlings or to parental favouritism in non-aggressive species. Since white stork chicks are not aggressive and they do not receive direct feeding, parental infanticide has been proposed as an alternative mechanism to control brood reduction. The capacity of white stork parents to control food allocation was examined. We hypothesized that parents favour the senior chick by adjusting prey size to suit its ingestion capacity. We experimentally manipulated (Spain 1996 and Algeria 2004) nestling size by exchanging the senior chick for a larger one. After the exchange parents delivered longer and heavier prey items and they increased the total food amount delivered to the brood, which benefited not only the senior chick but also its smaller nestmate. We also discuss the effect of environmental conditions over brood reduction by comparing chick mortality, intrabrood weight asymmetries and fledging success in years with above (2003 and 2004) and below (2002) average rainfall in the area. We conclude that parents may control intra-brood food distribution which enables them to invest more in larger sibs but not (under favourable conditions) at the expense of junior chicks.

Kindled non-convulsive behavioral seizures, analogous to primates. A 24th case of ‘limbic psychotic trigger reaction’: Bizarre parental infanticide —might nonvoluntariness during LPTR become objectified by primate model?

Limbic psychotic trigger reaction (LPTR) includes paroxysmal, out-of-character, motiveless, unplanned felonies (or similarly bizarre social misbehavior), all committed during flat affect, autonomic arousal and a fleeting de novo psychosis. A transient limbic hyperactivation is implicated that impairs prefrontal monitoring (judgment, planning, intent, volition, emotional participation) but preserves memory for the acts. It is hypothesized that LPTR implicates an atavistic regression to a limbic ‘paleo-consciousness’, exemplified by a 24th patient (parental infanticide), presented herein. He had closed head injury and borderline abnormal posterior brain pathology (EEG/CT), which might have contributed to his unusually numerous visual hallucinations.

Brood Reduction and Parental Infanticide — are the White StorkCiconia ciconiaand the Black StorkC. nigraexceptional?

Brood size in birds is reduced through fatal starvation, siblicide or parental infanticide (killing of own offspring). Both Black and White Storks were observed practising facultative parental infanticide. In the White Stork parents regurgitate large amount of food consisting of many small items on the nest bottom. Chicks pick up food themselves, trying to eat as quickly as possible. No aggression among chicks is observed. As a result monopolisation of food does not occur and elimination of the weakest chick is very ineffective. Sometimes parent storks accelerate brood reduction by killing some of the offspring. Surprisingly, although parental infanticide is a quick and efficient method of brood reduction it is rarely observed, even in species practising it.

Proximate and ultimate causes of adoption in ring-billed gulls

From 1987 to 1994, the annual frequency of adoption by breeding pairs at a Lake Erie ring-billed gull,Larus delawarensis, colony ranged from 3 to 37% (average 8%/year,N=7 years) and, on average, foster parents raised 0.5 fewer of their own chicks to fledging than pairs that did not adopt. The key evolutionary question is: why do some individuals apparently suffer the costs associated with a behaviour that appears to enhance the fitness of others? From 1992 to 1995, I investigated the proximate and ultimate causes of adoption in ring-billed gulls from the perspectives of both the foster parents and adopted chicks, and tested predictions that differentiated between various competing adaptive and nonadaptive hypotheses that have been proposed to explain it. While I was able to demonstrate a breeding cost, I failed to identify any benefits to foster parents. Thus, the adaptive hypotheses that rely on the foster parents benefiting were not supported (e.g. kin selection, reciprocal altruism, acquisition of parenting experience). From the foster parent’s perspective, adoption was mediated through errors in parent–offspring recognition. Under natural conditions, most fostering pairs were tending small chicks (<6 days old) at the time of adoptions; in chick-transfer experiments, resident parents did not discriminate against foreign chicks until their own chicks were 7–9 days old. Chicks (N=25) that subsequently abandoned their natal nests were lighter, and grew at a slower rate, than chicks that survived to fledging in their home broods. Thus, departing chicks were at a survival disadvantage in their home broods. Chicks that gained acceptance into foreign broods where they were older/larger than the resident chicks realized high survival at the expense of their foster siblings and parents. Based upon individual growth rates and the corresponding survival probabilities, disadvantaged chicks approximately doubled their survival chances through foster care. Why has selection not eliminated adoption? I argue that adoption is an evolutionary arms race between the two principle actor groups; disadvantaged chicks, which benefit through foster care, and host parents, which avoid providing foster care (e.g. infanticide). In ring-billed gulls, selection has failed to eliminate adoption because the long-term reproductive cost (estimated at 4%, this study) of an occasional adoption is probably offset by the relatively higher costs associated with stricter kin discrimination mechanisms (e.g. parental infanticide).

Response of Male European Starlings To Experimental Removal of Their Mate During Different Stages of the Breeding Cycle

Abstract We experimentally removed females from monogamous European starling Sturnus vulgaris pairs during different stages of the breeding cycle and recorded the effect of these removals on male behaviour and on offspring survival in order to assess the possibilities for female mate desertion. Removal of the female during the laying, incubation and early nestling stage (1- to 5-day-old nestlings) invariably resulted in complete failure of the brood. The survival of the nestlings improved slightly if the female was removed during the middle nestling stage (6- to 10-day-old nestlings), but mortality rate of nestlings was still significantly higher than in control two-parent broods. About 80% of the males widowed during the laying/incubation period removed all eggs from the nest, while only 49% of all males widowed during the early and middle nestling stage removed all dead nestlings. Removal of eggs/dead nestlings by a widowed male starling probably functions to increase the chance on a successful re-mating, since replacement clutches were found only in nests whereof the clutch/brood was removed. We recorded one definite and at least nine suspected cases of parental infanticide, the killing of own offspring, by experimentally widowed male starlings. After nestlings reached 10 days of age (late nestling stage), there was no longer a significant difference in nestling mortality rate between male-only and two-parent broods. This crucial point coincides with the time when (1) the nestlings are functionally homeothermic, and (2) the exponential growth of the nestlings begins to moderate. Moreover, at this time, late in the season, the only viable option for deserted males is to care for the young because the probability of renesting successfully is low. Our results thus indicate that after nestlings reach 10 days of age, female starlings may have the opportunity to desert their mate. However, at that time, the benefits of female mate desertion are reduced as opportunities for renesting succesfully are low.

Motives for Parental Infanticide in White Storks Ciconia ciconia

~.,i' , larger broods and laid larger clutches than non-infanticidal birds. Males killed the p,~, chick in 8 out of 9 cases. Victims were bom from the last-hatched egg in 4- and 5-egg .clutches, they were the lightest in their brood and grew at lower rates than their nestmates during the days preceding their elimination. The last-hatched nestlings in 4-chick broods had lower pre-fledging survival rates than their elder sibs. Potential victims contributed a low fraction to parents' reproductive output, and 4-chick broods were especially costly to raise because parents provisioned them both more frequently and for longer nestling periods. Hence, the presence of an extra chick seems to lower the benefit/cost ratio to parents rearing a large brood once its elder siblings have hatched successfully. If nestlings do not compete aggressively for food, parents would be selected to eliminate the extra chick themselves. This hypothesis could provide an explanation for the existence of parental infanticide algo in other species.

Ethical implications of studies on infanticide and maternal aggression in rodents

Studies of infanticide and maternal aggression in rodents are reviewed to exemplify general ethical problems arising from research on predation and aggression. Three main areas are reviewed: (1) parental infanticide, when an experimental manipulation causes a parent to harm its young; (2) non-parental infanticide, when pups are placed with a strange adult; and (3) non-parental infanticide, when a strange adult is placed with a mother and litter and aggression between adults may occur. Field experiments are also considered. In each area, constraints on experimental design produce ethical problems; however, ways of minimizing stress are considered. Factors of ethical concern include: (1) observation and intervention to stop both killing of infants and adult aggressive interactions; (2) numbers of pups used in each test; (3) age of the pups; (4) the nature of infanticidal attack; (5) maternal aggression; (6) duration of interactions; (7) use of barriers to protect pups and provision of escape routes for defeated adults; and (8) experimental design and sample sizes. The importance of considering ethical points early in experimental studies is emphasized.

Brood Reduction and Parental Infanticide in Heermann's Gull

Brood Reduction and Parental Infanticide in Heermann's Gull

Adoption Among the Inuit

EthosVolume 15, Issue 3 p. 320-330 Free Access Adoption Among the Inuit JOAN B. SILK, JOAN B. SILK JOAN B. SILK is Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles.Search for more papers by this author JOAN B. SILK, JOAN B. SILK JOAN B. SILK is Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles.Search for more papers by this author First published: September 1987 https://doi.org/10.1525/eth.1987.15.3.02a00040Citations: 18 AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL REFERENCES Balikci, A. 1970. The Netsilik Eskimo. Garden City, Nj: Natural History Press. Ben-Dor, S. 1966. Makkovik: Eskimos and Settlers in a Labrador Community. Newfoundland: Institute of Social and Economic Research, Memorial University, Social and Economic Studies No. 4. Condon, R. G. 1981. Inuit Behavior and Seasonal Change in the Canadian Arctic. Ann Arbor: Umi Research Press. Daly, M., and M. Wilson 1984. A Sociobiological Analysis of Human Infanticide. Infanticide: Comparative and Evolutionary Perspectives ( G. Hausfater and S. B. Hrdy, eds.), pp. 487– 502. New York: Aldine. Damas, D. 1972a. The Copper Eskimo. Hunters and Gatherers Today ( M. G. Bicchieri, ed.), pp. 3– 50. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston. Damas, D. 1972b. The Structure of Central Eskimo Associations. Alliance in Eskimo Society ( L. Guemple, ed.), pp. 40– 55. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Dickemann, M. 1975. Demographic Consequences of Infanticide in Man. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 6: 107– 137. Dickemann, M. 1984. Concepts and Classification in the Study of Human Infanticide: Sectional Introduction and Some Cautionary Notes. Infanticide: Comparative and Evolutionary Perspectives ( G. Hausfater and S. B. Hrdy, eds.), pp. 427– 437. New York: Aldine. Dunning, R. W. 1962. A Note on Adoption among the Southampton Island Eskimo. Man 62: 163– 167. Foulks, E. F. 1972. The Arctic Hysterias of the North Alaskan Eskimos. Anthropological Studies No. 10. Washington, D.C.: American Anthropological Association. Graburn, N. 1969. Eskimos Without Igloos: Social and Economic Development in Sugluk. Boston: Little, Brown. Guemple, L. 1972. Kinship and Alliance in Belcher Island Eskimo Society. Alliance in Eskimo Society ( L. Guemple, ed.), pp. 56– 78. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Guemple, L. 1979. Inuit Adoption. Canadian Ethnology Service No. 47. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada. Hamilton, W. D. 1964. The Genetic Evolution of Social Behaviour. Journal of Theoretical Biology 7: 1– 52. G. Hausfater, And S. Hrdy, eds. 1984. Infanticide: Comparative and Evolutionary Perspectives. Introduction and Overview. New York: Aldine. Mathiassen, T. 1928. Material Culture of the Iglulik Eskimos. Report of the Fifth Thule Expedition, 1921-24, Vol. Vi, No. 1. Mauss, M. 1979. Seasonal Variations of the Eskimo. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Rousseau, J. 1970. L'adoption Chez les Esquimaux Tununermiut. Travaux Divers du Centre d'Etudes Nordiques 28: 1– 173. Scrimshaw, S. C. M. 1984. Infanticide in Human Populations: Societal and Individual Concerns. Infanticide: Comparative and Evolutionary Perspectives ( G. Hausfater and S. B. Hrdy, eds.), pp. 439– 462. New York: Aldine. Silk, J. B. 1980. Adoption and Kinship in Oceania. American Anthropologist 82: 799– 820. Silk, J. B. 1987. Adoption and Fosterage in Human Societies: Adaptations or Enigmas. Cultural Anthropology 2(1): 39– 49. Spencer, R. F. 1959. The North Alaska Eskimo. Bureau of American Ethnology No. 171. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. Tiecher, M. J. 1953. Adoption Practices among the Eskimos of Southampton Islands. Canadian Welfare Journal 29: 32– 37. Vanstone, J. W. 1962. Point Hope: An Eskimo Village in Transition. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Weyer, E. M. 1932. The Eskimos: The Environment and Folkways. New Haven: Yale University Press. Whiting, J., P. Bogucki, W.-Y. Kwong, and J. Nigro 1977. Infanticide. Society for Cross-Cultural Research Newsletter 5. Citing Literature Volume15, Issue3September 1987Pages 320-330 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Optimal Maternal Care1

Infanticide among animals is a widespread phenomenon. It has often been regarded as pathological or erroneous, suggesting that such behaviour decreases the individual and inclusive fitness of the infanticidal animals. However, recent studies (surveyed by Hrdy 1979, Polis 1981) have shown that infanticidal behaviour can evolve and be adaptive, benefiting the individuals responsible for the infanticide. Even parental infanticide, e.g. untimely abandonment of young, may be an advantageous reproductive tactic, as suggested for Ursus arctos by Tait (1980); in Mesocricetus auratus pup cannibalism “is an organized part of normal maternal behavior which allows an individual female to adjust her litter size in accord with her capacity to rear young” (Day and Galef 1977).Neither survey addresses the question of what mothers of iteroparous (multiply breeding) and polytokous species (having several young per brood) should do with a brood containing exceptionally few young. We present two ways of assessing whether Accepting or Rejecting few young will maximize a mother's lifetime reproduction.