Sandri Camillo, Vallarin Vittoria, Sammarini Carolina, Regaiolli Barbara, Piccirillo Alessandra, Spiezio Caterina
Department of Animal Health Care and Management, Parco Natura Viva - Garda Zoological Park, Verona, Italy.
Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
PeerJ. 2017 May 30;5:e3404. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3404. eCollection 2017.
In the last years, studies on captive greater flamingos have increased. Research on zoo animals is important to improve the knowledge on these species and to improve their and conservation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the parental behaviour of a captive colony of greater flamingo hosted at Parco Natura Viva, an Italian zoological garden, to improve the knowledge on this species in zoos. In particular, the present study investigated and compared the parental care of females and males in 35 breeding pairs of greater flamingos. For each pair, we collected durations of parental care behaviour of both females and males, recording their position in relation to the nest (near the nest, on the nest, away from the nest) and individual and social behaviours performed. First, both partners were involved in parental care and displayed species-specific behaviours reported in the wild. The main results were that males spent more time than females on the nest ( = 0.010) and near it ( = 0.0001) and were more aggressive toward other flamingos than females, both when sitting on the nest ( = 0.003) and when near the nest ( = 0.0003). Therefore, male flamingos seem to be more involved in incubation duties and nest protection than females. This kind of research is important not only to expand the knowledge on bird species such as flamingos, but also to improve their husbandry and breeding in controlled environment. Indeed, understanding animal behaviour allows us to gain insights into their individual and social needs, addressing potential animal welfare issues.
在过去几年中，对圈养大火烈鸟的研究有所增加。对动物园动物的研究对于增进对这些物种的了解以及改善它们的保护状况非常重要。本研究的目的是调查意大利动物园自然生命公园（Parco Natura Viva）中圈养的一群大火烈鸟的亲代行为，以增进对动物园中该物种的了解。具体而言，本研究调查并比较了35对繁殖期大火烈鸟中雌性和雄性的亲代抚育行为。对于每一对，我们收集了雌性和雄性亲代抚育行为的持续时间，记录它们相对于巢穴的位置（靠近巢穴、在巢穴上、远离巢穴）以及所表现出的个体和社交行为。首先，双亲都参与亲代抚育，并表现出在野外报道过的特定物种行为。主要结果是，雄性在巢穴上（P = 0.010）和靠近巢穴处（P = 0.0001）花费的时间比雌性更多，并且在坐在巢穴上时（P = 0.003）和靠近巢穴时（P = 0.0003），雄性比雌性对其他火烈鸟更具攻击性。因此，雄性火烈鸟似乎比雌性更多地参与孵卵职责和巢穴保护。这类研究不仅对于扩展对火烈鸟等鸟类物种的了解很重要，而且对于改善它们在受控环境中的饲养和繁殖也很重要。事实上，了解动物行为使我们能够深入了解它们的个体和社会需求，解决潜在的动物福利问题。
