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2015 ; 12
(ä): 21
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The relationship between defecation and feeding in nestling birds: observational
and experimental evidence
#MMPMID26366188
Quan RC
; Li H
; Wang B
; Goodale E
Front Zool
2015[]; 12
(ä): 21
PMID26366188
show ga
BACKGROUND: Adult birds clean the nest by consuming or transporting feces, which
is thought to be important in order to lower the levels of parasites, pathogens
and predation at the nest. If nestlings were to defecate when parents were
absent, however, feces could accumulate in the nest. RESULTS: To understand the
mechanism by which nest sanitation is maintained, we studied the timing of
defecation in nestling birds of common passerine species in southwest China. In
159 nests of 8 species at the nestling stage during 779 randomly timed
observations, we never found fecal sacs present. Video recordings, totaling 455 h
at five Pycnonotus jocosus nests in the field, showed almost all defecation after
feedings, and only nestlings that were fed defecated. Six translocated P. jocosus
nests were taken into captivity in order to manipulate the frequency of feeding.
These nestlings defecated only after feeding, even when feeding intervals were
extended to 60 and 120 min. The fecal sac weight also increased with extended
feeding intervals, demonstrating a remarkable plasticity for nestlings to wait
for feedings. CONCLUSION: The evidence allows two major conclusions: 1)
defecation in the nest occurs at a time that ensures nest sanitation, stimulated
by feeding, rather than there being a set time of gut processing between feeding
and excretion; 2) the strong plasticity in the timing of defecation and the
possibility of negative repercussions (if defecation occurs when parents are
absent) are important mechanisms underlying the efficiency of the
feeding-defecation system.