Adoption: Adaptation or Reproductive Error in Eastern Bluebirds?

Daniel P. Wetzel; C. Ray Chandler

doi:10.1676/07-045.1

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Daniel P. Wetzel,^*,**,*** C. Ray Chandler^*

^*Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Box 8042, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA
^**Current address: Department of Biology, 101 T. H. Morgan Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
^***Corresponding author; dan.wetzel@uky.edu

Abstract

We describe an adoption event by a female Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) and suggest a mechanism by which adoption could be adaptive. The foster female adopted three young and we were able to quantify two measures of parental care (nestling provisioning and nest defense). The foster female successfully reproduced with the father of the young in the same location later in the breeding season. The adopting female may be increasing her fitness by gaining future reproduction with a fertile mate at a productive nest box through parental care for young that are not related.

Citation Download Citation

Daniel P. Wetzel and C. Ray Chandler "Adoption: Adaptation or Reproductive Error in Eastern Bluebirds?," The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120(2), 419-422, (1 June 2008). https://doi.org/10.1676/07-045.1

Received: 12 March 2007; Accepted: 1 October 2007; Published: 1 June 2008

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