Newsgroups: sci.bio
Path: utzoo!rising
From: rising@utzoo.uucp (Jim Rising)
Subject: Ducks and Geese
Message-ID: <1988Jan29.113016.10572@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Date: Fri, 29-Jan-88 11:30:14 EST


Interesting posting on parental behaviour of ducks and geese.  I'm not
certain how it relates to the forced copulation issue.  F.c. occurs in
geese as well as ducks.

There was mention the other day about aggressive courtship behaviour in
females.  I think the tone was, "Why don't people ever study it...".
In fact, they do.  Characteristically, in birds where the male incubates
the eggs and the female doesn't, and where the male alone takes care of
the young, the females are aggressive in territorial defense and court-
ship.  Perhaps this is particularly true in species in which polyandry 
is common:  phalaropes, jacanas, painted snipe, and probably others.  I
have watched phalarope courtship.  Female appears to chase male, and "knock"
him into the water prior to copulation.  I'm not certain that this counts
as "forced copulation."  Indeed, without an intromittant organ "forcing"
could only be by intimidation.  Ducks and geese are among the few birds
such organs.  In any event, courting female phalaropes, jacanas, and painted
snipe appear to be as aggressive as males are in birds in which females take
primary responsibility for the incubation and feeding of young, and/or take
little part in territorial defense.

I guess from reading the "rape" postings that people who are posting in
soc.men and soc.women are not reading notes that are posted only in 
sci.bio.  Conversely, I would guess that much of what is cross posted
to sci.bio from those other sources is of little interest to the readers
of sci.bio, although that is obviously not for me to determine.  Any 
comments from sci.bio readers on this?  It seems to me that people keep 
raising issues that have been adequately discussed weeks ago.

I shall attempt to cross post this to soc.men and soc.women.

--Jim Rising
-- 
Name:   Jim Rising
Mail:   Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto
        Toronto, Ontario, Canada    M5S 1A1
UUCP:   {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!rising