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<p>We studied the time budget of precocial chicks of the Northern Lapwing (<i>Vanellus vanellus</i>) on ephemeral islets in the middle Pripyat River valley (Belarus) to evaluate how their diurnal activities are influenced by age, wind strength, ambient temperature and time of the day. Our findings underscore the interaction between age and environmental factors in influencing chick behaviour, providing insights into the development and survival strategies of lapwing chicks under optimal habitat conditions, low predation pressure, and high fledging success. Daytime parental brooding decreased with age and ceased entirely once the chicks reached 11&#xa0;days old. Brooding predominantly occurred during the coldest parts of the day, i.e., in the morning and evening. The proportion of time chicks spent foraging increased until they were 28&#xa0;days old, reflecting their rising energy demands and the gradual development of full feather coverage. Behaviours other than brooding and foraging occupied minimal time. Antipredator activities, such as vigilance, hiding, or fleeing, progressively declined until chicks were about 24&#xa0;days old. Comfort activities, including preening and loafing, increased until chicks were 20&#xa0;days old, slightly declined thereafter, and rose again in older chicks. This final increase likely coincided with a notable reduction in foraging time. Our results offer a valuable benchmark for comparative studies of lapwing chick time budgets in environments affected by environmental or anthropogenic stressors that may constrain their behaviour.</p>

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Age-related time budget and behaviour of Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) chicks

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月11日

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  • Lucyna Pilacka,
  • Włodzimierz Meissner,
  • Paulina Piasecka,
  • Pavel Pinchuk,
  • Natalia Karlionova

摘要

We studied the time budget of precocial chicks of the Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) on ephemeral islets in the middle Pripyat River valley (Belarus) to evaluate how their diurnal activities are influenced by age, wind strength, ambient temperature and time of the day. Our findings underscore the interaction between age and environmental factors in influencing chick behaviour, providing insights into the development and survival strategies of lapwing chicks under optimal habitat conditions, low predation pressure, and high fledging success. Daytime parental brooding decreased with age and ceased entirely once the chicks reached 11 days old. Brooding predominantly occurred during the coldest parts of the day, i.e., in the morning and evening. The proportion of time chicks spent foraging increased until they were 28 days old, reflecting their rising energy demands and the gradual development of full feather coverage. Behaviours other than brooding and foraging occupied minimal time. Antipredator activities, such as vigilance, hiding, or fleeing, progressively declined until chicks were about 24 days old. Comfort activities, including preening and loafing, increased until chicks were 20 days old, slightly declined thereafter, and rose again in older chicks. This final increase likely coincided with a notable reduction in foraging time. Our results offer a valuable benchmark for comparative studies of lapwing chick time budgets in environments affected by environmental or anthropogenic stressors that may constrain their behaviour.