Adult aggressiveness and creching behavior in the Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber roseus

Although creching behavior has been observed in several colonial waterbird species, its precis causation remains largely unexplored. Previous studies have mainly considered adaptive benefits such as reduced risk of predation through a dilution effect or enhanced thermoregulation. Recently, it has been proposed that adult aggressiveness is an important proximate factor underlying the dynamics of creche formation. Here, we report first results from a study of the creching behavior of the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber roseus) in the Camargue, in southern France. Aggressiveness of parents towards conspecifics and alien chicks varied with the development stage of their own chick and decreased when the parent's own chick was in the creche. The present study supports the idea that adult aggression levels directly affect the development of chick creching behavior.