Open-cup nesters in the Kalahari: Incubation and egg-shading behaviour in passerines cannot be detected with temperature dataloggers during hot periods

Abstract

Birds that build open-cup nests in semi-arid or arid habitats have difficulty in maintaining clutch temperatures during incubation in a suitable incubation range due to high air temperatures and solar radiation, resulting in either embryo death or behavioural responses to preserve clutch viability. We investigated how Southern Fiscals (Lanius collaris), open-cup nesting passerines with female-only incubation in the Kalahari basin, allocated time for self-care (off-bouts) and incubation (on-bouts) and whether egg shading, a previously described behaviour in this species, is a widespread response during hot periods. We used a dual approach combining temperature dataloggers in the nest and behavioural observations during the hottest hours of the day. We found that in the early morning and late evening, Southern Fiscals behaved similarly to species incubating in temperate habitats by alternating off- and on-bouts, but during the hottest hours of the day, shading became the main activity. Behavioural observations were key to describing this behaviour indicating that it is necessary to combine different data collection strategies to successfully assess the behaviour of open-cup nesters in hot environments.