Understanding sociality and behavior change associated with a nesting event in a captive flock of great white pelicans

Abstract

Zoo‐housed pelicans are commonplace, but their breeding record is poor and little research is published on the activity patterns, as potential predictors of nesting, of captive flocks. Existing literature shows that comparative research can provide useful information for husbandry and conservation planning for pelican populations. The opportunity arose to investigate the time‐activity budget and social network of a breeding flock of captive great white pelicans. Three chicks were hatched in June and July 2016 and one in March 2017. Data on state behaviors, space use, and association preferences were collected around these nesting events, from October 2016 to February 2017 and July to October 2017. Results suggest that pre‐nesting periods were associated with heightened flock‐wide vigilance, suggesting that vigilance may be a precursor for courtship or nesting activity. Social network analysis revealed nonrandom associations between birds and a social structure across the flock, in which subadults seemed to associate more with each other than with adult birds. A limited visitor effect was noted; whilst no overall behavior change was apparent with different numbers of visitors, pelicans did widen their enclosure usage with increased visitor presence. These data are relevant to those attempting to breed this pelican, who wish to know more about the daily behavior patterns of this species across the season and physiological state, and who wish to understand pelican social structure, which is useful to the planning and implementation of bird moves or changes to the social environment of the flock. Further extending such research to include uninterrupted observation over a successful breeding event is recommended.

Conducting Behavioural Research in the Zoo: A Guide to Ten Important Methods, Concepts and Theories

“…and including social networks analyses (how does the social environment affect the use of the physical environment and the way in which an individual uses space?) [20,111] builds up a larger picture of welfare states, the suitability of husbandry and expands the impact of the finished project. It is essential to combine some approaches and methodologies to maintain overall effectiveness-such as integration of repeated measures experimental design into an enrichment study, which aims to show positive welfare change using an ethogram-informed activity budget plus the calculation of behavioural diversity indices.…”

Which index should I use? A comparison of indices for enclosure use studies

“…As per Original SPI, the values for Modified SPI vary between 1 and 0. This newer index has been used for a range of animal exhibits (Brereton et al, 2021;Prystupczuk et al, 2019;Rose & Robert, 2013;Rose et al, 2018). The ability of the index to assess use across unequal zones has made it increasingly valuable for exhibits containing different substrates and resources (Brereton, 2020).…”

“…The aim was to determine how an animal's use of either purely water, purely land, or a mix of both might affect the enclosure use scores. Animals with specializations toward either land or water are found in captivity (e.g., fish), along with animals showing varying degrees of water affinity (e.g., great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus, Brereton et al, 2021).…”

Which Index Should I Use? A Comparison of Indices for Enclosure Use Studies

“…As per Original SPI, the values for Modified SPI also vary between 1 and 0. This newer index has been used for a range of animal exhibits (Brereton et al, 2021;Rose & Robert, 2013;Rose et al, 2018;Prystupczuk et al, 2019). The ability of the index to assess use on unequal zones has made it increasingly valuable for exhibits containing different substrates and resources (Brereton, 2020).…”