Waterfowl ethograms for observational studies are of the specific type and can include differing categories of behaviors depending on the organisms observed. Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) behavioral categories in one ethogram include social and reproductive, agonistic and alert, foraging and related, locomotive, resting and comfort, and other, each of which were further scrutinized into approximately seven observable behaviors (Downs et al. 2017). These were observed in a subtropical, urban university campus. An ethogram of Anas platyrhynchos categorized behavior through locomotion, resting, resting on water, comfort, courtship, agonistic, alert, surface feeding, subsurface feeding, and land feeding (Mason et al. 2013). These were observed in a semi-urban environment. Another ethogram of Anas platyrhynchos categorized behavior through locomotion, ingestion, vigilance, comfort, resting, and aggression (Welsh et al. 2017). These were observed in a rural environment. Although these behavioral categories assist in understanding waterfowl, it is crucial to evaluate when species display them based on their environment. It remains unclear exactly when Anas platyrhynchos display these behaviors on an urban university campus set in a rural environment.
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