Incubation behaviour of greater snow geese in relation to weather conditions

Based on allometric considerations, goose species with larger body masses should spend more time on their nest during incubation than smaller ones. We documented hourly and daily variations in incubation behaviour of large goose species nesting in the Arctic, the greater snow goose (Chen caerulescens atlantica), and examined the effect of weather conditions on recess frequency and duration. Incubation behaviour was inferred from variations in temperature recorded by adding artificial eggs to clutches. Mean nest attentiveness during the incubation period was 91.4%, indicating that it can be relatively low even for a large goose. Females took 5–6 recesses/day, which lasted for an average of 22.7 min each. Variability in incubation behaviour over time was greater within females than among females. Recesses were more frequent, and of longer duration, in the afternoon than at night. Females were also less attentive to their nest as incubation progressed, a consequence of both an increase in recess frequency an...