Seaducks, including the Long-tailed Duck, winter in numerous flocks far from the coast. For that reason data on their behaviour at wintering quarters are sparse and our knowledge is extremely limited. The Long-tailed Duck is the most numerous seaduck wintering in the Baltic and has suffered a severe decline in its numbers and nowadays this species has been listed as Vulnerable on the Red List. Complementing our knowledge of ethology of this species will allow us to better plan future conservation efforts. The estuarial section of the Vistula near Gdańsk is an exceptional site, as long-tailed ducks gather here in large numbers and can be observed from a short distance. In a previous study on its time budget, we observed a number of interesting sexual behaviours, including courtship, male defence of the female, and aggression toward unpaired males. In this project, we aim to take a closer look at the sexual behaviours of long-tailed ducks, describe them in detail, and analyse their sequences and the factors that trigger them.
The student will observe long-tailed nucks in the estuary section of the Vistula river near Gdańsk and collect data on different aspects of their sexual behaviour. This task will be conducted with help of our students. The student will then enter the results from the video recordings into a database for statistical analysis. The frame of the analyses and their results will be discussed with the supervisors of the internship. The results will be published in a scientific journal upon completion of the project.
Expertise in collecting data on wild animal behaviour, processing obtained data, understanding of behavioural ecology, statistical tools for data analysis.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
