The social behaviour of the Chilean Teal.

In order to study the social behaviour of the Chilean Teal observations were made on a captive group kept in as natural a setting as possible. These observations were supplemented with information taken from a second group kept in a flight pen. From these observations a repertoire of species specific action patterns was established. Films were made of naturally occuring episodes of social display. These films were analysed frame by frame and the data obtained treated in various ways. These included intra- and inter-individual transition analysis, temporal associations, interruption of ongoing activities, variation in the duration of movements and the spacing and orientation of males while performing some movements associated with social display. The results are discussed in terns of the synchronisation of behaviour in a group, pairing behaviour, the role of social display in surface-feeding ducks, the role of the female in social display and the usefulness of the concept of the Fixed Action Pattern in describing such behaviour. The methods of analysis used are compared with those used by others working in this area.