The breeding ecology of the white-naped crane Grus vipio in Muraviovka Park, Southeast Russia

Abstract

The White-naped Crane Grus vipio is one of the most threatened species within the Family Gruidae. To address the paucity of information on the biology of this species, a study of its breeding ecology was conducted in Muraviovka Park, southeast Russia in 2011-12. It was discovered that the egg-laying period at this site extended over a 25 day period, and that both parents participated in incubation and exchanged incubation duties on average 7.3 times per day. The incubation period lasted 33-35 days and hatching success per nest was at least 56.3%. Only the female brooded the chicks. To assess time budget, recorded behaviors were divided into 11 different categories. Differences were seen in the time allocation of each parent towards different behaviors and these differences sometimes varied in relation to the incubation period versus the chick-care period. The adaptive significance of these behavioral shifts and the differences in the roles of each parent in terms of chick survival are a topic for future investigation.