Thermal Environment of the Nest and Related Parental Behavior in Snowy Plovers, Charadrius alexandrinus

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Abstract
The thermal environment of the eggs of Snowy Plovers was measured by placing thermistors in eggs and in strategic positions around the nest. Eggs which were outside the nest and not receiving adult attention attained much higher, presumably fatal, temperatures than eggs inside the nest. Egg temperatures were positively correlated with air and surface temperatures, but thermal extremes were moderated by parental behavior. Time spent on the nests by the adults was correlated with several interrelated factors. Nest attention increased during the last 2/3 of the incubation period and during times of high air temperature. Nest attention diminished in late afternoon, a period of peak foraging activity and moderate temperatures. The duration between shifts at the nest was reduced at high temperatures, while the amount of time spent standing rather than sitting over the nest increased. High wind speeds reduced the latter tendency.

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