Cooperative breeding behaviors in the Hawaiian Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni)

Abstract Cooperative breeding, which is commonly characterized by nonbreeding individuals that assist others with reproduction, is common in avian species. However, few accounts have been reported in Charadriiformes, particularly island‐nesting species. We present incidental observations of cooperat...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Arleone Dibben‐Young, Kristen C. Harmon, Arianna Lunow‐Luke, Jessica L. Idle, Dain L. Christensen, Melissa R. Price
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021-05-01
Series:Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7509
Description
Summary:Abstract Cooperative breeding, which is commonly characterized by nonbreeding individuals that assist others with reproduction, is common in avian species. However, few accounts have been reported in Charadriiformes, particularly island‐nesting species. We present incidental observations of cooperative breeding behaviors in the Hawaiian Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni), an endangered subspecies of the Black‐necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), during the 2012–2020 nesting seasons on the Hawaiian islands of O‘ahu and Moloka‘i. We describe two different behaviors that are indicative of cooperative breeding: (a) egg incubation by multiple adults; (b) helpers‐at‐the‐nest, whereby juveniles delay dispersal and reproduction to assist parents and siblings with reproduction. These observations are the first published accounts of cooperative breeding in this subspecies and merit further investigation, as cooperative breeding may improve population viability of the endangered, endemic Hawaiian Stilt.
ISSN:2045-7758