To Flee or Not to Flee: How Age, Reproductive Phase, and Mate Presence Affect White Stork Flight Decisions
Recognizing, assessing, and responding to threats is critical for survival in the wild. Birds, especially in their role as parents, must decide whether to flee or delay flight when threatened. This study examines how age, reproductive stage, and the presence of a mate influence flight initiation dis...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/18/2920 |
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| author | Laïd Touati Mohamed Athamnia Abdennour Boucheker Bourhane-Edinne Belabed Farrah Samraoui Ahmed H. Alfarhan Anders P. Møller Boudjéma Samraoui |
| author_facet | Laïd Touati Mohamed Athamnia Abdennour Boucheker Bourhane-Edinne Belabed Farrah Samraoui Ahmed H. Alfarhan Anders P. Møller Boudjéma Samraoui |
| author_sort | Laïd Touati |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recognizing, assessing, and responding to threats is critical for survival in the wild. Birds, especially in their role as parents, must decide whether to flee or delay flight when threatened. This study examines how age, reproductive stage, and the presence of a mate influence flight initiation distance (FID) and nest recess duration in white storks. Analyzing the data with a generalized additive mixed model (GAMM), we found significant correlations between FID and age, reproductive stage, and presence of a mate. These results suggest that the trade-off between current and future reproduction shifts during critical breeding periods, such as incubation and nestling care. To increase breeding success, White Storks appear willing to take risks and extend their stay in the nest when offspring are most valuable and vulnerable. In the presence of a mate, individuals leave the nest earlier, suggesting possible sexual conflict over parental care. The duration of nest abandonment is consistent with FID, except for age. These results illustrate how parental age, brood value, vulnerability, and sexual dynamics influence white stork flight decisions in complex ways. Understanding these dynamics enriches our knowledge of bird behavior and adaptations to environmental challenges and highlights the complexity of parental decision making. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:07:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-68901ff853ce467f8aff30310a2e65ae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:07:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-68901ff853ce467f8aff30310a2e65ae2023-11-19T09:15:27ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-09-011318292010.3390/ani13182920To Flee or Not to Flee: How Age, Reproductive Phase, and Mate Presence Affect White Stork Flight DecisionsLaïd Touati0Mohamed Athamnia1Abdennour Boucheker2Bourhane-Edinne Belabed3Farrah Samraoui4Ahmed H. Alfarhan5Anders P. Møller6Boudjéma Samraoui7Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, AlgeriaLaboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, AlgeriaLaboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, AlgeriaDepartment of Biology, University Badji Mokhtar, Annaba 23000, AlgeriaLaboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, AlgeriaDepartment of Botany & Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaAgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, FranceLaboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, AlgeriaRecognizing, assessing, and responding to threats is critical for survival in the wild. Birds, especially in their role as parents, must decide whether to flee or delay flight when threatened. This study examines how age, reproductive stage, and the presence of a mate influence flight initiation distance (FID) and nest recess duration in white storks. Analyzing the data with a generalized additive mixed model (GAMM), we found significant correlations between FID and age, reproductive stage, and presence of a mate. These results suggest that the trade-off between current and future reproduction shifts during critical breeding periods, such as incubation and nestling care. To increase breeding success, White Storks appear willing to take risks and extend their stay in the nest when offspring are most valuable and vulnerable. In the presence of a mate, individuals leave the nest earlier, suggesting possible sexual conflict over parental care. The duration of nest abandonment is consistent with FID, except for age. These results illustrate how parental age, brood value, vulnerability, and sexual dynamics influence white stork flight decisions in complex ways. Understanding these dynamics enriches our knowledge of bird behavior and adaptations to environmental challenges and highlights the complexity of parental decision making.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/18/2920disturbanceflight initiation distanceparental carereproductive strategiessexual conflictwildlife management |
| spellingShingle | Laïd Touati Mohamed Athamnia Abdennour Boucheker Bourhane-Edinne Belabed Farrah Samraoui Ahmed H. Alfarhan Anders P. Møller Boudjéma Samraoui To Flee or Not to Flee: How Age, Reproductive Phase, and Mate Presence Affect White Stork Flight Decisions Animals disturbance flight initiation distance parental care reproductive strategies sexual conflict wildlife management |
| title | To Flee or Not to Flee: How Age, Reproductive Phase, and Mate Presence Affect White Stork Flight Decisions |
| title_full | To Flee or Not to Flee: How Age, Reproductive Phase, and Mate Presence Affect White Stork Flight Decisions |
| title_fullStr | To Flee or Not to Flee: How Age, Reproductive Phase, and Mate Presence Affect White Stork Flight Decisions |
| title_full_unstemmed | To Flee or Not to Flee: How Age, Reproductive Phase, and Mate Presence Affect White Stork Flight Decisions |
| title_short | To Flee or Not to Flee: How Age, Reproductive Phase, and Mate Presence Affect White Stork Flight Decisions |
| title_sort | to flee or not to flee how age reproductive phase and mate presence affect white stork flight decisions |
| topic | disturbance flight initiation distance parental care reproductive strategies sexual conflict wildlife management |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/18/2920 |
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