Abstract
The Nicobar megapode Megapodius nicobariensis is a mound nesting bird, endemic to Nicobar Islands. Colour-marked megapode reveals that it is primarily a monogamous species, although temporary pair bonds, change in partner and extra-pair copulation are also observed in this species. During our study, unpaired megapodes tried to steal the mate from an existing pair and it lead to changes in partnerships, extra-pair copulation and temporary pair bonding. An egg-laying pair showed dominance over a non-egg-laying pair. However, the dominant rank in the society of the Nicobar megapode was not consistent, and it varied temporally and spatially. Dominancy status appears because of the mound rather than the territory although they are territorial throughout the year. Alpha pairs were more likely to show mound and territory fidelity than beta pairs. Territories overlapped where a large number of pairs used a mound. The average size of the territory was 0.81 ± 0.12 ha. A major function of the territory of the Nicobar megapode was to protect the mound from neighbours or strangers. Both partners of a pair equally defended their territory from others. In this chapter, the reasons for monogamous mating system in the Nicobar megapode were discussed and also attempted to explain the reasons for extra-pair copulation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Altmann J (1974) Observational study of behaviour: sampling methods. Behaviour 48:227–265
Birks SM (1991) Female mate choice in Australian Brush-turkeys. World Pheasant Assoc J 33:21–26
Black MJ (1996) Partnerships in birds: the study of monogamy. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 420p
Booth DT (1987) Home range and hatching success of Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata Gould (Megapodiidae), in Murray mallee near Renmark, S.A. Aust Wildl Res 14:95–104
Brown JL (1963) Social organisation and behaviour of the Mexican Jay. Condor 65:126–153
Coates BJ (1985) The birds of Papua New Guinea, vol 1. Dove, Alderley, Queensland
Crome FHJ, Brown HE (1979) Notes on social organisation and breeding of the orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt. Emu 79:111–119
Dekker RWRJ (1990) Conservation and biology of megapodes (Megapodiidae, Galliformes, Aves). Unpublished D.Phil. thesis, University of Amsterdam
Dekker RWRJ (1992) Status and breeding biology of the Nicobar megapode Megapodius nicobariensis abbotti on Great Nicobar, India. Report, National Museum of Natural History, Leiden
Dwyer PD (1980) Two species of megapode laying in the same mound. Emu 81:173–174
Ens BJ, Safriel UN, Harris MP (1993) Divorce in the long-lived and monogamous oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus: incompatibility or choosing the better option? Anim Behav 45:1199–1217
Ford NL (1983) Variation in mate fidelity in monogamous birds. Curr Ornithol 1:321–355
Frith HJ (1959) Breeding of the Mallee Fowl, Leipoa ocellata Gould (Megapodiidae). CSIRO Wildl Res 4:31–60
Heij CJ, Rompas CFE, Moeliker CW (1997) DEINSEA 3: the biology of the Molluccan megapode Eulipoa wallacei (Aves, Galliformes, Megapodiidae) on Haruku and other Molluccan Islands. Final Report, Part 2
Jones DN (1988) Construction and maintenance of the incubation mounds of the Australian Brush-turkey Alectura lathami. Emu 88:210–218
Jones DN (1989) Modern megapode research. A post-frith review. Corella 13:145–154
Jones DN (1990a) Social organization and sexual interactions in Australian Brush-turkeys (Alectura lathami): implications of promiscuity in a mound-building megapode. Ethology 84:89–104
Jones DN (1990b) Male mating tactics in a promiscuous megapode: patterns of incubation mound ownership. Behav Ecol 1(2):107–115
Jones DN, Birks S (1992) Megapodes: recent ideas on origins, adaptations and reproduction. Trends Ecol Evol 7(3):88–91
Jones DN, Dekker RWRJ, Roselaar CS (1995) The megapodes. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 262p
Krebs JR, Davies NB (1989) An introduction to behavioural ecology. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford
Lack D (1968) Ecological adaptations for breeding in birds. Methuen, London
Minton CDT (1968) Pairing and breeding in Mute Swans. Wildfowl, 19,41–60
Odum EP, Kuenzler EJ (1955) Measurement of territory and home range size in birds. Auk 72:128–137
Orians G (1971) Ecological aspects of behaviour. In: Farner DS, King JR, Parkes KC (eds) Avian biology. Academic, New York
Orians GH (1969) On the evolution of mating systems in birds and mammals. Am Nat 103:589–603
Oring LW (1982) Avian mating systems. In: Farner DS, King JR, Parkes KC (eds) Avian biology, vol 6. Academic, New York, pp 1–92
Power DM (1990) Current ornithology, vol 7. Plenum, New York
Rohwer S (1982) The evolution of reliable and unreliable badges of fighting ability. Am Zoo 22:531–546
Sankaran R (1995) The Nicobar megapode and other endemic Avifauna of the Nicobar Islands (Status and conservation). SACON Technical Report 2
Sankaran R, Sivakumar K (1999) Preliminary results of an ongoing study of the Nicobar megapode Megapodius nicobariensis Blyth. Zoologische Verhandelingen 327:75–90
Shoener TW (1968) Sizes of feeding territories among birds. Ecology 49:123–141
Sivakumar K (2000) A study on breeding biology of the Nicobar megapode Megapodius nicobariensis. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Bharathiyar University, India
Smith M (1984) The ecology of sex. In: Krebs JR, Davies NB (eds) Behavioural ecology—an evolutionary approach. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 201–221
Weathers WW, Weathers DL, Seymour RS (1990) Polygyny and reproductive effort in the Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata. Emu 90:1–6
Wiens JA (1973) Inter territorial habitat variation in Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows. Ecology 54:877–884
Acknowledgements
This study was funded by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, and the logistic support by the Forest Department, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is gratefully acknowledged. We thank the World Pheasant Association for partly funding the soil respirometer. We thank Rene Dekker, Darryl Jones, V.S. Vijayan, Lalitha Vijayan, Ajith Kumar, P.A. Aziz, H.S. Das, N.K. Ramachandran, A. Rajasekaran, B.P. Yadav, A.K. Biswal, R. Rajyashri, Areendam and David for their inputs in this study and Jugulu Maheto and Prem Ram who have assisted us in the field.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sivakumar, K., Sankaran, R. (2012). Social Organisation of the Nicobar Megapode Megapodius nicobariensis (Galliformes) in the Great Nicobar Island. In: Venkataraman, K., Raghunathan, C., Sivaperuman, C. (eds) Ecology of Faunal Communities on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28335-2_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28335-2_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-28334-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-28335-2
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)