A nesting pair of killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, was studied at Barnstable High School during the Spring of 2004, in order to determine any difference in incubation levels between the male and female. A methodology was developed to determining the sex of the killdeer, without permanent markers, attempting to use mainly varying plumage and defensive behavior for identification. Two frameworks of time breakdowns were used to study the varying incubation levels between the male and female killdeer: stage of nesting and nocturnal vs. diurnal. Video and audio monitoring was carried out through the installation of cameras and microphones in and around the nest. Monitoring covered the entire nesting period, with complete twenty-four hour data for the latter half of incubation. A representative sample of these data was chosen to be analyzed. It was found that determining the sex of the killdeer was best done using the differences in plumage. Results revealed that the female of this pair’s incubation contributions were higher than the male's through the first half of incubation, while through the second half the roles switched. It was also found that the male killdeer was the primary nocturnal incubator, while the female was the primary diurnal incubator. Additionally the duration of incubation “shifts” was found to be significantly longer at night than during the day. The comprehensive look at a nesting pair’s incubation patterns allow an insight into overall parental investment. A higher male incubation investment, as is seen in this breeding pair, may be explained by a compensation for the female’s higher initial investment, oogenesis.
