Incubation behaviour and uniparental nestling care in the Huon Astrapia Astrapia rothschildi (Paradisaeidae)

Richard H. Donaghey, Donna J. Belder, Tony Baylis
pp. 67-75


Abstract

The Huon Astrapia Astrapia rothschildi is endemic to the mountains of the Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea. We document, for the first time, the nest-site and height above the ground, incubation behaviour, nestling period, and uniparental care of the nestling (including brooding, feeding rate, nestling meals and nest hygiene) of the Huon Astrapia in the Yopno
Urawa Som Conservation Area. Only the female incubated the single-egg clutch and provisioned the nestling. Incubation constancy was 67%. The nestling period was 25–27 days. Time spent brooding during the first week of the nestling period averaged 59%. The female provisioned the nestling at an average rate of 2.3 meals per hour. Of 32 nestling meals that could be identified, 81% were animal, predominantly insects, and 19% were fruit. Nearly all meals were regurgitated, and the female consumed most faecal sacs. We present four spectrograms: vocalisations of two females attending a nestling in their nests, and nestling calls. We compare incubation behaviour and uniparental nestling care of the Huon Astrapia with those in other birds-of-paradise, especially within the Astrapia clade.


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