Artificial watering of nesting mounds during a drought does not stimulate egg laying in malleefowl Leipoa ocellata at a site near Renmark, South Australia
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Published source details
Booth D.T. & Seymour R.S. (1984) Effect of adding water to malleefowl mounds during a drought. Emu, 84, 116-118
Published source details Booth D.T. & Seymour R.S. (1984) Effect of adding water to malleefowl mounds during a drought. Emu, 84, 116-118
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Water nesting mounds to increase incubation success in malleefowl Action Link |
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Water nesting mounds to increase incubation success in malleefowl
A small controlled trial in mallee scrub in South Australia, Australia, in October-December 1981 (a drought year) Booth & Seymour (1984) found that two malleefowl Leipoa ocellata nest mounds which were watered to promote microbial decomposition were abandoned around the 6th December, after birds constructed egg chambers but did not lay eggs. However, the internal temperature rose to approximately 35oc following the addition of 400 litres of water (equivalent to approximately 57 mm of rain on the mounds), compared to a maximum of approximately 25oC for two control (unwatered) mounds. However, watered mounds dried out in late November, the temperature fell and birds abandoned them. Control nests were abandoned around 12th November.
