Parental care by lone male Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis), Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus), and Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) was limited to providing food

Authors

  • Josef K. Schmutz School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, 15 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C8
  • Martin A. Gérard 91 Caron Crescent, Grasswood, Saskatchewan S7T 1A8
  • Gordon S. Court Department of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, 9920 108 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2M4
  • R. Wayne Nelson 4218 63rd Street, Camrose, Alberta T4V 2W2

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v128i2.1578

Keywords:

Ferruginous Hawk, Buteo regalis, Rough-legged Hawk, Buteo lagopus, Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, parental care, food provisioning, feeding, brooding, starvation, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Hanna, Alberta, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Abstract

In three long-term studies of Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis), Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus), and Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus), we observed rare but regular occurrences of superabundant prey at nests where nestlings were hungry, emaciated, or dead. In these cases, a male appeared to be the lone parent; the female parent was found dead, kept away by disturbances, or simply absent. We conclude that the male parents, whose normal role is to provide food, were unable to expand their care to include morseling, feeding, and brooding. Faced with the stress of incessant food begging by nestlings, the male parents responded by bringing more and more food to the nest, to the point where food spoiled while the young starved amid plenty. We provide and interpret detailed observations for 11 such cases and suggest several variables that would influence the nestlings’ chances of survival.

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Published

2014-07-06

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Section

Articles