Meeting Abstract
Capturing animals is a common component of studies in wildlife behavior, ecology, and physiology. However, capture can be stressful to the animal, altering their behavior and/or physiology. If an individual’s response to capture varies with another trait, such as age, hormone profile, or condition, then the effects of capture could affect the outcome of a study. We investigated the effect of capture with two trapping methods on incubation behavior in female red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). We trapped females in either mist nets, positioned 1-3 meters from the nest, or a single-celled potter trap placed directly on top of the nest. We then measured the length of time for a female to resume incubating her eggs after capture. In addition to trapping method, we determined if individual variation in glucocorticoid hormones, hematocrit, or body condition predicted time away from the nest. We found substantial among-individual variation in the time taken by females to resume incubating (range: 28 to 251 minutes after capture). Females caught in potter traps on the nest tended to take longer to resume incubation than females caught in mist nets. However, mass seems to have no effect on return rates. In conclusion, capturing females disrupts incubation, leaving their nests vulnerable to predation and alters a behavior that influences the phenotype and survival of offspring. Our results suggest that investigators should be cautious capturing females right at the nest as it has the potential to have deleterious effects on subsequent incubation behavior and ultimately offspring survival.
