Activity budgets of captive Laysan ducklings ( Anas laysanensis )

This study examined how diurnal activity budgets, visibility to observer, and distance to parents changed during the day and during three stages of development of captive Laysan ducklings. All behaviors except feeding, swimming, and terrestrial locomotion varied significantly across the stages of development. There was a significant time of day effect for 5 behaviors: stationary, flying, swimming, under female, and lying. A significant interaction between stage and time of day for 4 behaviors, viz., stationary, flying, under female, and out of sight, was also found. Young ducklings followed the female, were under the female, or were out of sight significantly more often than older ducklings. Older ducklings performed maintenance behaviors or boundary walking, or were stationary, flying, social, lying, or lying out of sight significantly more often than younger ducklings. Swimming and flying were most often performed late in the day, and the ducklings were stationary most often in early and late periods of the day. They were also most often under the female during early and late periods of the day. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.