Incubation temperature in wood ducks

Data were collected from incubating wood duck hens nesting in nest boxes at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC, USA in Spring-Summer 2014. Two types of temperature loggers (6 mobile and 1 stationary) were installed into nest boxes to record egg temperature when hens were incubating. Both logger types were modified and inserted into artificial eggs filled with wire-pulling lubricant to mimic the thermal properties of real eggs. We also recorded ambient temperature within the nest box, and measured hen body mass and tarsus length. Averages and standard deviations in temperature were calculated for each nest from the entire incubation period (~30 d). Averages and standard deviations for the mobile loggers are averages of the 6 loggers in each nest. Logger type: M = mobile; ST = stationary. Clutch size includes all fake eggs (i.e., temperature loggers). All average incubation temperatures and standard deviations in temperature reflect a correction for slight differences between temperature recording devices. In three nests, one or two mobile loggers were pushed to the side of the nest either in the middle or end of incubation. 'Excluding pushed loggers' indicates that these pushed eggs were removed from the mean and standard deviation in temperature calculations for their respective nests.