TY - JOUR
T1 - Ground-roosting in domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus) in The Gambia
T2 - the anticipation of night
AU - Kent, J P
AU - McElligott, A G
AU - Budgey, H V
PY - 1997/12/3
Y1 - 1997/12/3
N2 - The ground-roosting behaviour of a semi-feral population of domestic hens with broods of chicks was measured in The Gambia, West Africa. Although neither day length nor time of sunset changed significantly over the duration of the study (January-March 1995), mean daily light intensity showed a significant increase. This resulted in an increasingly rapid decline in light intensity at dusk as the season progressed. Hens went to roost significantly later in the day, and at lower light levels, over the course of the season. The results support a model suggesting that the cue to start roosting is a certain light level, constant over the season, but the `settling period' required means that the hens finally roost at later times and at lower light levels as the season progresses.
AB - The ground-roosting behaviour of a semi-feral population of domestic hens with broods of chicks was measured in The Gambia, West Africa. Although neither day length nor time of sunset changed significantly over the duration of the study (January-March 1995), mean daily light intensity showed a significant increase. This resulted in an increasingly rapid decline in light intensity at dusk as the season progressed. Hens went to roost significantly later in the day, and at lower light levels, over the course of the season. The results support a model suggesting that the cue to start roosting is a certain light level, constant over the season, but the `settling period' required means that the hens finally roost at later times and at lower light levels as the season progresses.
U2 - 10.1016/s0376-6357(96)00764-4
DO - 10.1016/s0376-6357(96)00764-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 24897334
VL - 39
SP - 271
EP - 278
JO - BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES
JF - BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES
SN - 0376-6357
IS - 3
ER -