The foraging behaviour of ducks

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Presentation for Behavioural Challenge.

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The foraging behaviour of ducks:

The foraging b ehaviour of ducks By Debbie Green

Slide 2:

A population of ducks were watched at Johnston Park in Aberdeen.

Slide 3:

Their foraging behaviour was watched and several different strategies were noted.

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Foraging is important as it allows the ducks to find food and therefore gain energy in order to survive, grow and reproduce.

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The most common behaviour viewed was the ducks swimming around watching under the water, then diving underwater when they saw a fish.

Slide 6:

Some of the ducks stopped and stood on rocks that were just under the water, and searched for fish from there. This allowed them to conserve energy.

Slide 7:

Some individuals stayed and foraged in the reeds.

Slide 8:

The array of different techniques allows them to find different types of food and also decreases competition.

Slide 9:

Tinbergen set out four questions which are set to explain different aspects of foraging behaviour. These questions look at both the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ the behaviour takes place.

Slide 10:

The first question, causation, looks into the cause of foraging.

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In this case, the cause is that the duck’s brain tells it that it is hungry and that it needs to find food for energy.

Slide 12:

This then causes the duck to search for food to relieve this hunger and therefore provide it with the energy that it needs.

Slide 13:

The second question, development, looks into the how the behaviour has developed within the population.

Slide 14:

Here, it was due to the fact that that when the duck was a duckling it was fed by its mother and therefore learnt that it needed food to feel satisfied.

Slide 15:

As it got older it stopped being fed and through watching its parents, it learnt to forage in order to gain food for itself.

Slide 16:

The third question looks into the function of the behaviour.

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In this case the function is the bird has to forage for food in order to allow it to gain energy and therefore grow and develop and become stronger and therefore be able to pass on its genes, the primary reason for life.

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The final question deals with the evolution of the behaviour.

Slide 19:

This behaviour has evolved due to the need for the duck to gain energy.

Slide 20:

Different prey have different energy values and are abundant in different amounts.

Slide 21:

Therefore the duck has evolved to know which species is best to eat and has therefore adapted to easily catch and eat certain species.

Slide 22:

This is done during foraging when they look to find the species that is most suitable for them.

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The ducks are clearly well adapted in order to allow them to catch food and gain the energy that they need to survive. The variety of foraging techniques decreases the competition and allows all the individuals to receive enough food.

References:

References Bolhuis , J.J., Giraldeau , L (2005). The Behaviour of Animals . Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. p4-6, 200. Gyimesi , A., van Rooij , E.P., Nolet , B.A. . (2011). Nonlinear effects of food aggregation on interference competition in Mallards. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology . 64 (11), 1897-1904.