<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Observations of birds feeding chicks or fledglings of a different species have already been reported in many publications. However, the benefits of the altruistic behaviour are not easy to understand, as benefits and costs of this behaviour have been poorly identified. In May 2013, in a wetland in Central Italy (Piana Fiorentina, Tuscany), some cases of interspecific feeding of an Eurasian Coot Fulica atra chick by an adult non breeding Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida were witnessed. We suggest that the behaviour of the Tern was triggered by the begging of the chick or by its own hormonal status.</p></abstract>

Observations of birds feeding chicks or fledglings of a different species have already been reported in many publications. However, the benefits of the altruistic behaviour are not easy to understand, as benefits and costs of this behaviour have been poorly identified. In May 2013, in a wetland in Central Italy (Piana Fiorentina, Tuscany), some cases of interspecific feeding of an Eurasian Coot Fulica atra chick by an adult non breeding Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida were witnessed. We suggest that the behaviour of the Tern was triggered by the begging of the chick or by its own hormonal status.

An Unexpected Case of Heterospecific Altruistic Behaviour in a Non-Breeding Migrant Tern (Charadriformes, Sternidae)

Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6 – 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Florence),Italy

Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano, 6 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Florence),Italy

Environmental Biologist, Landscape Ecologist, via Pompeo Ciotti 60/2 – 59100 Prato, Italy

Di.S.A.F.A., Entomology and Zoology, University of Turin, Via Leonardo da Vinci, 44 – 10095 Grugliasco (Turin)

Ornis Hungarica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Observations of birds feeding chicks or fledglings of a different species have already been reported in many publications. However, the benefits of the...

An Unexpected Case of Heterospecific Altruistic Behaviour in a Non-Breeding Migrant Tern (Charadriformes, Sternidae)

Published Online: Dec 04, 2014

Page range: 76 - 80

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/orhu-2014-0013

Keywords
interspecific feeding, Fulica atra, Chlidonias hybrida, chicks

© 2014

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

An Unexpected Case of Heterospecific Altruistic Behaviour in a Non-Breeding Migrant Tern (Charadriformes, Sternidae)

Published Online: Dec 04, 2014

Page range: 76 - 80

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/orhu-2014-0013

Keywordsinterspecific feeding, Fulica atra, Chlidonias hybrida, chicks

© 2014

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
interspecific feeding, Fulica atra, Chlidonias hybrida, chicks