King penguin brooding and defending a sub-Antarctic skua chick
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Date
Authors
Oosthuizen, Wessel Christiaan
De Bruyn, P.J. Nico
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
Interspecific parental care is rare, conveys no ultimate evolutionary advantage, and is usually attributed to reproductive errors in species with analogous habitat, behaviour and diet. We report on interspecific parental care (brooding and “defence” of unrelated chick) provided by a king penguin to a sub-Antarctic skua chick on Marion Island, despite substantial risk of injury to the penguin due to the presence of the true parents.
Description
Keywords
Alloparental care, Aptenodytes patagonicus, Catharacta antarctica, Interspecific adoption, Marion Island
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Citation
Oosthuizen, WC & De Bruyn, P.J.N. 2009, ‘King penguin brooding and defending a sub-Antarctic skua chick’, Polar Biology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 303-305. [http://www.springer.com/life+sci/ecology/journal/300]