Egg Chilling and the Thermal Environment of the Fork-Tailed Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma furcata) Nest

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Abstract
Fork-tailed storm petrels (Oceanodroma furcata) forage at considerable distances from the nest and frequently are delayed in returning to relieve incubating partners. Consequently, embryos and chicks must be able to tolerate periods of parental neglect. In Alaska, embryos survived after being unattended a total of 28 days during the incubation period at internal egg temperatures of 9-12 C. We did not measure egg temperatures, even during incubation, greater than 27.5 C, which is well below temperatures of incubated eggs for any other species. Body temperatures of nonbrooded chicks fell as low as 12 C during the first week after hatching. Although one would expect nests to insulate eggs and chicks from the cold substrate, nests, if built, were simple. Nests absorbed moisture and harbored arthropods, both of which reduced chick survival. Adults preferentially faced away from the nest burrow entrance, possibly to minimize heat loss during incubation.