What determines the pattern of sharing of incubation and brooding in ring doves?

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Abstract
Pairs of ring doves (Streptopelia risoria), nesting in the laboratory, showed stable patterns of sharing of incubation and brooding, with the male sitting on the eggs or young for a block of time toward the middle of the day. There was great variability from pair to pair in the amount and timing of sitting by each mate, and in the frequency of nest exchanges. Despite this variability, the eggs were never left unincubated. The particular sitting patterns of individual pairs are not due to endogenous circadian differences in when each sex will incubate or in competing responses but are probably due to the development of cooperative interactions between the mates. The amount and pattern of sitting by each bird were stable over several breeding cycles but were altered when either partner was given a new mate.

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