Patterns of aggression among captive american flamingos (<i>Phoenicopterus ruber</i>)

Hinton, Mitchell G.; Bendelow, Annie; Lantz, Samantha M.; Wey, Tina W.; Schoen, Lee; Brockett, Robin; Karubian, Jordan

doi:10.1002/zoo.21078

Cited by 25 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(63 reference statements)

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“…As captive flamingos are often housed in large flocks, in relatively naturalistic exhibits they can be good models for behavioral study (King, ) and assessment of nocturnal activity and space use may provide important information that can be used to make improvements to captive care (Rose, Croft, & Lee, ). Previous captive flamingo research has focused on aspects of diurnal behavior, such as social and aggressive interactions (Anderson, Williams, & Bono, ; Frumkin et al, ; Hinton et al, ; Rose, ; Rose and Croft, ), nesting and courtship display (Farrell, Barry, & Marples, ; Hughes, Raynes, Driscoll, & Babler, ; Studer‐Thiersch, ), and flock management (Lindgren and Pickering, ; ickering, Creighton, & Stevens‐Wood, ; Pickering & Duverge, ). However, currently there is limited information on the nocturnal behavior of flamingos in captivity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of nocturnal activity in captive greater flamingos

et al. 2018

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Wild flamingos are known to forage overnight, but little is known of their nocturnal activity patterns in captivity. Captive flamingos can show daytime inactivity, reflecting natural periods of resting and loafing documented in wild birds. Assessment of behavior outside of normal zoo opening hours can provide more detailed information on how animals use the space provided to them, and highlights how enclosure areas not commonly occupied during the day may still be important for inhabitants at other times. We examine whether captive flamingos at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre change their enclosure usage and behavior overnight compared to that observed during daylight. Using three night-vision remote cameras, the behavior and enclosure usage of a flock of over 270 greater flamingos was recorded from March to July 2016. Results show that these flamingos had higher rates of foraging at certain points during the night, and had a more even enclosure usage when compared to daylight hours. Change in pool use is apparent throughout the course of the day and night, suggesting that different areas of water depth are used by these flamingos at different times. Flamingos increased nocturnal foraging in their pool during the breeding season. The large enclosure size and range of different land and water areas may have enabled these flamingos to follow daily activity patterns similar to those observed in wild birds. Captive flamingos clearly show a difference between daytime and nocturnal behavior patterns and this should be considered when designing enclosures and general management routines for these birds.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of nocturnal activity in captive greater flamingos

et al. 2018

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“…The E–I Index is calculated for the entire population and for individuals, but the permutation test is conducted at the population‐level and determines if a given E–I Index value is significantly different from random mixing [Hanneman and Riddle, ]. Since previous E–I Index analyses did not find effects of sex [Hinton et al, ; Frumkin et al, unpublished data], we did not include this factor in the current analysis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the population-level, overall social structure can be quantified through social network analysis [Wey et al, 2008;Krause et al, 2014] or by measuring behaviors at the population level (rates, etc.). Social network analysis provides useful tools for understanding the behavior of captive animals at each of these levels because it allows for direct measurements of social interactions and relationships that can be used to gain insights into social stability and consistency [Wey et al, 2008;Hinton et al, 2013;Krause et al, 2014;Aplin et al, 2015]. However, only a few studies have looked at repeatability and consistency in network traits [Blumstein et al, 2013;Brent et al, 2013;Jacoby et al, 2014;Aplin et al, 2015].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because they are highly gregarious and among the most common birds in zoos, flamingos are well suited for monitoring how aggression and social relationships change over time, with a focus on social stability and behavioral consistency [Rose et al, 2014]. Relatively high levels of aggressive interactions have been documented for captive flamingos at the group [Perdue et al, 2011;Hinton et al, 2013;Hughes and Driscoll, 2014] and individual levels [Hughes, 2015]. Hughes [2015] assessed dominance over multiple years, finding that dominance interactions were stable across seasons; however, little other information exists on inter-annual variation in other aspects of flamingo behavior [Rose et al, 2014].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social network metrics used in this study of aggression in captive American flamingos at the Audubon Zoo, New Orleans LA (adapted fromTable 1inHinton et al, 2013 which drew its definitions fromWey et al, 2008 andHanneman andRiddle, 2005) …”

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confidence: 99%

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Inter-annual patterns of aggression and pair bonding in captive American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber)

et al. 2016

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Because zoos typically house animals for extended periods of time, longitudinal studies can play an important role in evaluating and optimizing animal care and management. For example, information on patterns of aggression and mating behavior across years can be used to monitor well-being, assess response to changes to group composition, and promote successful reproduction. Here, we report on patterns of aggression and pair bonding by American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) at the Audubon Zoo, New Orleans USA across 4 years (2012-2015), a period that included a simultaneous introduction and removal of individuals in 2014. At the population level, overall rates and social network indices of aggressive interactions were relatively stable over the study period, without a strong signal of the 2014 replacement event. At the individual level, flamingos exhibited a high degree of within-individual consistency in levels of aggression initiated (W = 0.530, P < 0.001), and received (W = 0.369, P = 0.042). In terms of pair bonds, females re-paired with the same individuals across years more frequently (between 58% and 100% from year to year) than they switched mates, and no bonds were established between pre-existing and introduced individuals. These findings indicate a high degree of stability in aggression and pair bonding behavior in this population of captive flamingos, at both the population and individual level. Longitudinal studies such as this one provide an opportunity to better our understanding of flamingos and other long-lived, group-living animals along with their management needs, especially in terms of maintaining social cohesion in captivity and improving captive breeding programs.

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Retinal topography in two species of flamingo (Phoenicopteriformes: Phoenicopteridae)

Lisney

Potier

Isard³

et al. 2020

J of Comparative Neurology

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In this study, we assessed eye morphology and retinal topography in two flamingo species, the Caribbean flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) and the Chilean flamingo (P. chilensis). Eye morphology is similar in both species and cornea size relative to eye size (C:A ratio) is intermediate between those previously reported for diurnal and nocturnal birds. Using stereology and retinal whole mounts, we estimate that the total number of Nissl-stained neurons in the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer in the Caribbean and Chilean flamingo is~1.70 and 1.38 million, respectively. Both species have a well-defined visual streak with a peak neuron density of between 13,000 and 16,000 cells mm −2 located in a small central area. Neurons in the high-density regions are smaller and more homogeneous compared to those in medium-and low-density regions. Peak anatomical spatial resolving power in both species is approximately 10-11 cycles/deg. En-face images of the fundus in live Caribbean flamingos acquired using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) revealed a thin, dark band running nasotemporally just dorsal to the pecten, which aligned with the visual streak in the retinal topography maps. Cross-sectional images (B-scans) obtained with SD-OCT showed that this dark band corresponds with an area of retinal thickening compared to adjacent areas. Neither the retinal whole mounts, nor the SD-OCT imaging revealed any evidence of a central fovea in either species. Overall, we suggest that eye morphology and retinal topography in flamingos reflects their cathemeral activity pattern and the physical nature of the habitats in which they live.

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Patterns of aggression among captive american flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber)

Cited by 25 publications

References 35 publications

Patterns of nocturnal activity in captive greater flamingos

Patterns of nocturnal activity in captive greater flamingos

Inter-annual patterns of aggression and pair bonding in captive American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber)

Retinal topography in two species of flamingo (Phoenicopteriformes: Phoenicopteridae)

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