Age of first breeding of the Pygmy Cormorant? (and a rant about ChatGPT hallucinations) (1 Viewer)

[jurek]

Anybody knows for certain at what age Pygmy Cormorants first breed? There was an influx of juvenile birds to Central Europe last autumn, and some people (including me) wonder whether it will lead to breeding, and when.

I asked ChatGPT, which, being the 2020's IT, answered 2-3 years, then admitted it has no sources for that. I checked several science papers on the internet, and they all said that the age of first breeding of the Pygmy Cormorant is unknown. So I am asking on BF because it is possible somebody studied the species directly.

 

[Richard Prior]

Anybody knows for certain at what age Pygmy Cormorants first breed? There was an influx of juvenile birds to Central Europe last autumn, and some people (including me) wonder whether it will lead to breeding, and when.

I asked ChatGPT, which, being the 2020's IT, answered 2-3 years, then admitted it has no sources for that. I checked several science papers on the internet, and they all said that the age of first breeding of the Pygmy Cormorant is unknown. So I am asking on BF because it is possible somebody studied the species directly.

Mike (Bittern on here) asked me the same question a few weeks ago and I found nothing in my BWP Concise regarding at what age they can first breed, nor on various ‘informative’ ornithological websites. Hopefully someone that knows will see your query and give the answer. Having said that, it’s clear from watching the plumage changes in these 1st winter Swiss and French winterers, that, unlike Great Cormorant, 2nd calendar year birds assume adult plumage as the end of their first winter approaches. And they all (almost) leave during March and April so I have a hunch they will be back ( most probably in Italy)breeding now.
Just one left in France as of two days ago, plus perhaps three on Rheindelta in the far east of Switzerland as far as I can tell.

 

[raymie]

Anybody knows for certain at what age Pygmy Cormorants first breed? There was an influx of juvenile birds to Central Europe last autumn, and some people (including me) wonder whether it will lead to breeding, and when.

I asked ChatGPT, which, being the 2020's IT, answered 2-3 years, then admitted it has no sources for that. I checked several science papers on the internet, and they all said that the age of first breeding of the Pygmy Cormorant is unknown. So I am asking on BF because it is possible somebody studied the species directly.

I would recommend not asking ChatGPT for info like this. Try Birds of the World. If Birds of the World doesn't have any info, then yeah, it's unknown.