Effect of brood mixing on location and survivorship of juvenile Canada geese

The establishment of mixed broods in populations of Canada geese, Branta canadensishas been a subject of controversy. The possible adaptive significance of this behaviour was evaluated as it relates to the survivorship of goslings. Distance of goslings from the adults, gosling status (i.e. natural or adopted) and survivorship to 5 years were measured to predict the value of aggregation behaviour. Spatial data indicated that adopted goslings were further from female adults than natural goslings. Recapture data indicated that mixed broods improved the survivorship of natural goslings.1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour