Acoustic cues to development of African penguins (Spheniscus Demersus) begging calls

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Date

2024

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

John Wiley and Sons Inc

Abstract

Avian begging calls mediate parent–offspring conflict and direct parental care to genetically related progeny. We found that the fundamental frequency of begging calls of African Penguins Spheniscus demersus decreases as the penguins age and gain mass, before reaching a lower plateau when the chick reaches about 1 kg. Our results suggest that the food solicitation signals of this species may inform parents of the offspring’s body mass. Our results may also lead to the development of non-invasive tools for facilitating censusing chick growth in wild colonies.

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Keywords

Acoustics, Food Intake, Ontogeny, Parent-Offspring Interaction, Parental Care

Citation

Zanoli, A., Tenneriello, C., Morandi, I., Terranova, F., Cadman, M., Ludynia, K., Mathevon, N., Reby, D. and Favaro, L., 2025. Acoustic cues to development of African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) begging calls. Ibis, 167(1), pp.286-294.