Alloparental care in the common murre (Uria aalge)

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Abstract
Common murres (U. aalge) at the Gannet Islands, Labrador [Canada], were found to assist in the rearing of chicks which were not their own. This alloparental behavior was most common among birds which had failed in their breeding attempt and mainly comprised brooding of well-grown chicks aged 18-22 days. Alloparental care occurred both when the chick''s parents were present and absent from the colony. It is unusual for common murre chicks to be left unattended and occurs only when food availability is low: alloparents may increase the chances of survival of unattended chicks. There are several possible explanations for alloparental care in common murres, but the most parsimonious explanation is that chicks take advantage of a nonadaptive residual hormone titer in failed breeders.

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