Breeding biology of the Adelie Penguin

Abstract

The present study is concerned with breeding biology; and because successful breeding requires an Adklie to be expert in social interactions, we would like to review here the social behavior of the Adklie Penguin. This will provide background for later discussions and may also provide the reader with a feeling for the living bird, who is confronted with real situations in the breeding effort. Emphasis in this chapter is on differences in display usage by birds of different age and breeding status. Several major studies have been published on the social behavior of the Adklie Penguin: Levick (1914), Sladen (1958), Sapin-Jaloustre (1960), Penney (1968) Spurr (1975a), and Ainley (1975 b). Supplementary work has been contributed by Penney (1962), Thompson (1974), Ainley (1978), and Muller-Schwarze and Muller-Schwarze (1980). Almost all of these were studies in animal behavior, their prime purpose being to describe displays and their social functions. Only Ainley (1975b), who was primarily interested in how display behavior determined whether a bird paired and bred, and to some degree Spurr (1974), related the use of displays directly to breeding success. No new data are presented here, but with the detailed information on breeding biology now available (in other chapters) we will revise interpretations of previous data on display behavior. (Refer to the references above for detailed descriptions of displays.)