Post-fledging Parental Investment in the Capricorn Silvereye

Abstract

We measured relative parental investments of 23 pairs of Capricorn Silvereyes Zosterops lateralis chlorocephala in the post- fledging period to examine the possibility of brood division and to relate parental investment to the survival of parents and offspring. Both parents invested similarly in nestlings and young fledglings. When feeding old fledglings or small broods, one parent tended to invest considerably more, but brood division did not develop. The degree of investment was not related to parental sex, age or dominance status. The strong pair bond, clumping by the fledglings and the small brood size may preclude development of brood division in Silvereyes. Survival of parents and of their young was not related to the relative investment of the members of the pair.