Release Factors of Breeding Activities in Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) Hens

The present 7-year study was conducted on a capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) lek. The study included four years of continuous monitoring of reproductive behaviour of capercaillie in spring and a 3-year study of hen-cock relationships. We used a factorial Correspondence Analysis (CA) to assess the relationship between variables such as weather, release activity and cock display behaviour, as well as the presence and activity of hens. The statistical correlations between these factors were also summarized, showing that: there is no direct relationship between daily activity of hens on the lek and photoperiod; the behavioural interactions between cocks, their spatial and territorial organization, on the one hand, and hen activity and receptivity on the other, are reinforced by reciprocal interactions between the sexes.