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The annual cycle of the Toc‐toc Foudia sechellarum on Cousin Island, Seychelles
Author(s) -
BROOKE M. DE L.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
ibis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1474-919X
pISSN - 0019-1019
DOI - 10.1111/j.1474-919x.1985.tb05033.x
Subject(s) - annual cycle , population , juvenile , biology , period (music) , ecology , zoology , geography , environmental science , demography , physics , sociology , acoustics
The Seychelles Fody or Toc‐toc shows a fairly well‐defined annual cycle. A full pre‐nuptial moult, lasting 90–100 days, occurs from February to May at the end of the wet season. During this period males enter eclipse plumage and there is little breeding. In most years there is a peak of breeding during the dry southeast monsoon from May to September. The subsequent period of post‐fledging parental care is lengthy, up to four months. I suggest that this cycle, which minimizes variation in adult energy requirements through the year, may be particularly advantageous to a generalist feeder like the Toc‐toc. Annual adult mortality is not higher than 17–21%, a figure which agrees reasonably with observed juvenile recruitment of 15–16%. The Cousin population of this globally scarce species is estimated at 1300.