Breeding success, mate-fidelity and nest-site fidelity in Red-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon rubricauda) on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean
Julia Sommerfeld A D , Tony Stokes B and G. Barry Baker C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Research and Technology Centre (FTZ), University of Kiel, Hafentörn 1, 25761 Büsum, Germany.
B PO Box 1553, Townsville, Qld 4810, Australia.
C Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: sommerfeld@ftz-west.uni-kiel.de
Emu 115(3) 214-222 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU14016
Submitted: 12 February 2014 Accepted: 15 December 2014 Published: 4 May 2015
Abstract
Disruption of pair-bonds and switching nest-site are associated with breeding failure in many seabirds. Both strategies can prevent repetition of poor performance with a low-quality mate or at a poor-quality nesting site. In the Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda), the relationship between mate-fidelity, nest-site fidelity and reproductive performance is poorly understood. We therefore examined this relationship in Red-tailed Tropicbirds, using data collected on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean from 1984 to 1986, corresponding to three successive breeding seasons. Birds showed strong between-season mate-fidelity, despite previous breeding failure, and subsequent breeding success in birds faithful to their mate was significantly higher than in pairs that bred together for the first time, indicating that mate-fidelity may outweigh the costs of disruption of pair-bonds. Although switching of nest-site was more likely to occur after previous breeding failure, it did not increase subsequent breeding success, indicating that nest-site switching may not be advantageous in Red-tailed Tropicbirds on Christmas Island. Although effects of age, dispersal rates to inaccessible parts of the island and adult survival were not examined in this study, our results provide a valuable basis for the evaluation of population dynamics of Red-tailed Tropicbirds on Christmas Island.
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