Parental behaviour in the Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

Parental behaviour of monogamous and polygynous Lapwings was studied during incubation and brood care. Both parents attended the nest in 86% of monoga mous pairs (n = 29 pairs). In 14% of pairs, only the male parent continued incubation until the eggs hatched, whereas the female deserted the clutch b efore or at the end of incubation. There was a clear division of parental r oles during incubation. Females spent more time incubating (64% of time) th an their mates (27%), whereas males spent more time defending the nest (3%) than females (<1%). Time spent incubating did not differ between monogamou s and polygynous males. However, polygynous females spent more time incubat ing (primary females: 95%; secondary females: 97%) than monogamous females. Biparental care was the most common pattern of post-hatching care, althoug h in some broods either the male or the female parent deserted before the c hicks fledged. Division of sex roles was less pronounced in brood care than during incubation. Females spent more time brooding (21%) than males (3%), and females attended their chicks more closely than males. Nevertheless, m ales and females spent similar amounts of time defending the brood from pre dators and conspecifics. We suggest that the apparent division of parental roles may be explained by sexual selection, i.e. the remating opportunities for male Lapwings might be reduced if they increase their share in incubat ion. However, the different efficiency of care provision, for example in ab ility to defend offspring, may also influence the roles of the sexes in par ental care.