Family matters – cooperative breeding and grandparents in the Seychelles warblers David Richardson, University of East Anglia
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“Whether it is grandparents, older brothers and sisters, or aunts and uncles, it is great to be able to rely on family to help out”
or over 10 years I have been coming to the Seychelles to study the Seychelles warblers. To begin with there was no problem; spending many months at a time on beautiful tropical islands following the lives of these charming little birds was exactly what a wildlife biologist would want to do. Then, a few years ago I met the woman of my dreams and, as you do, got married and had kids. Suddenly, being away from home was much more difficult, not just because I missed the kids, but also because it left my wife having to manage both her full-time scientific career and all the childcare. At this point, my wife and I realised what most parents already know; having your extended family around to help with the kids is priceless! Whether it is grandparents, older brothers and sisters, or aunts and uncles, it is great to be able to rely on family to help out. Funnily enough it was at about the same time that we (the Seychelles warbler study group) were discover-
ing how important the extended family was to the Seychelles warbler. For many years now, we have been studying the population of warblers on the wonderful island of Cousin. Indeed, our colleague Jan Komdeur started the study over 20 years ago! Each year we make sure that we catch every warbler living on the island and fit the legs of each with coloured rings so that we can easily recognise every individual with binoculars. Then we spend endless hours tracking them through the dense vegetation, watching their behaviour and following the success, or otherwise, of their breeding attempts. Over the years our studies have shown that Seychelles warblers often participate in ‘cooperative breeding’. Because the islands on which they live are small and fully occupied by warblers, the younger adults cannot find any space in which to set up their own territory and breed. So instead the young warblers sometimes stay at home with their parents and help to
Seychelles Warbler © Jeff Watson
26 Zwazo late 2008 - early 2009