Parental provisioning behaviour predicts survival of Cape Gannet chicks under poor conditions.

The article focuses on a study which examined the relationship between parental provisioning behaviour and the breeding success of Cape Gannets breeding at Ichaboe Island in Namibia. Nests were checked every hour from sunrise to sunset to record nest attendance of each bird. Feathers were collected from both parents of 10 nests to verify the sexing method. A logistic regression was used in this study to analyse chick survival. Results of the study showed that chick growth experienced an increase from December 19, 2005 to January 9, 2006. It also found that female body condition was greater than those of male. A positive correlation was also found between attendance bouts and trip durations in both sexes.