Abstract
We investigated the daily body mass changes in incubating female Kentish Plovers Charadrius alexandrinus. We found that the body mass of females decreased over the day. The change in body mass was significant both from morning to midday (median decrease: 3.36%), and from morning to afternoon (8.40%). We suggest two reasons for this decrease: depletion of fat reserves and the evaporation of water from body tissues. These changes may either indicate a physiological cost of incubation, or they may be the result of a strategic body mass regulation.
| Original language | English |
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| Pages (from-to) | 27-32 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Ornis Hungarica |
| Volume | 11 |
| Publication status | Published - 2001 |