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Nocturnal copulation in Glaucous-winged Gulls Larus glaucescens
Citation
HAYES, F.E. & HAYWARD, J.L. 2020. Nocturnal copulation in Glaucous-winged Gulls Larus glaucescens. Marine Ornithology 48: 55 - 59
Received 30 August 2019, accepted 21 November 2019
Date Published: 2020/04/15
Date Online: 2019/03/05
Key words: behavior, cathemeral, Laridae, life history, mating, nocturnality, reproduction
Abstract
Gulls (Laridae) are primarily diurnal, although many species forage opportunistically at night, and several species copulate at night. We used trail cameras to study time-of-day variation in the rate of copulation by Glaucous-winged Gulls Larus glaucescens in a breeding colony (1500+ pairs) at Protection Island, Washington, USA, from 31 May to 07 June 2018. Copulations (n = 353) occurred at a significantly higher rate during the day (0.82/camera-h) than at night (0.51/camera-h), with 76.3 % of copulations during the day and 23.7 % at night (daylight comprised 66.1 % and darkness comprised 33.9 % of the study period). The copulation rate peaked shortly before and after dawn, with a second peak before sunset. Copulation rate was lowest during the middle of the day and middle of the night. Glaucous-winged Gulls sleep intermittently during both day and night and have sufficient energy to sustain sporadic copulations during the night, which appears to be a normal part of their reproductive behavior. The most likely advantage of this pattern is an increased opportunity for fertilization with a mate.
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