Breeding behaviour and time-activity budgets of Bonelli’s Eagles Aquila fasciata: marked sexual differences in parental activities

Abstract

[Capsule]: Differences in parental investment between sexes and stage of the breeding period were found in Bonelli’s Eagles Aquila fasciata.

[Aims]: To describe the sexual differences in parental behaviour of Bonelli’s Eagles and to assess the sex-specific pattern of variation in parental investment in relation to the breeding period.

[Methods]: Between 2006 and 2016, we monitored the parental behaviour of 11 pairs of Bonelli’s Eagles during the incubation and chick-rearing periods in southeastern Spain. Observations were made using 20–60× telescopes from points overlooking the territory at a distance of about 500–800 m from the nest.

[Results]: Our results reveal a marked division in parental duties in Bonelli’s Eagles. Females invested more effort in incubation, nest attendance, chick feeding and nest-building, while males contributed more to food provisioning. Nest attendance and feeding by females decreased with time, and both parents adjusted their provisioning effort in relation to nestling age. Most changeovers took place during the middle of the day, when male provisioning rates and temperatures reach their maximum.

[Conclusion]: Intersexual differences are discussed in the context of the prey capture difficulty hypothesis, which proposes that intra-pair prey differences, due to large sexual size dimorphism, should be particularly advantageous among raptors that pursue agile prey.