Comparative egg attendance patterns of incubating polar petrels

Abstract Background The internal environment of eggs in most birds is regulated by transferring heat energy through contact incubation, maintaining nest microclimate, and frequent egg turning the incubating parent on its nest. However, we lack information about attendance patterns that breed polar environments where variations life history are expected to influence incubation behavior. Moreover, crevice/burrow nesting petrels high-latitude regions known for periodically leaving their unattended (hereafter ‘egg neglect’), but there little reporting condition eggs. At Dumont d’Urville Station, Antarctica, studied behavior 24 snow ( Pagodroma nivea ) 15 Cape Daption capense petrel pairs using loggers recorded rates, orientation changes, temperatures at 1 Hz durations 3–6 days. Results Egg frequency (1.31 ± 0.33 vs. 1.38 0.39 turns h −1 ), angle change per turn (43.1 43.2 48.6 43.7° temperature (34.1 2.3 34.1 2.0 °C) were nearly identical petrels, respectively. neglect was only observed nests (based changes) mean 1.34 1.15 days (maximum duration 3.63 days). During periods neglect, cooled 5.5 1.8 °C over an average 91 min, rewarmed parents 76 min a rate . Conclusions both species during regular within 1–2 other species, neglected remained several degrees above freezing, which likely attributed crevice buffered environmental conditions. Using rewarming thermal capacity eggs, published metabolic estimate costs be 1.5 1.9 × BMR. Excluding periods, rates lower than seabirds biologging devices, may associated with prolonged characteristic procellariiform seabirds.