Brief Report

Pseudo-egg and exotic egg adoption by Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus vetula

Published in: African Zoology
Volume 50 , issue 1 , 2015 , pages: 59–61

DOI: 10.1080/15627020.2015.1021172

Author(s): Minke Witteveen Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, South Africa , Mark Brown School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa , Peter G Ryan Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Keywords: incubation stimulus , mistaken-egg hypothesis , mistaken-food hypothesis

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Abstract

Ground-nesting birds, particularly larids, are known to include a variety of items in their nests as pseudo-eggs, as well as to adopt the eggs of conspecifics or other species. Three hypotheses have been put forward to explain this phenomenon: incubation stimulus, mistaken-food, and mistaken-egg hypotheses. Of 382 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus vetula nests monitored during 2013/14, 11 instances of pseudo-egg (mostly driftwood and beef/ lamb bones), and one instance of exotic egg, adoption were recorded. A combination of all three hypotheses was attributed for the adoption of pseudo-eggs, whereas the exotic egg adoption could have been due to the need for incubation stimulus or a case of mistaken food.

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