Parent–offspring conflict during the transition to independence in a pelagic seabird

The transition to independence is a critical period of development and a focus of parent–offspring conflict over the optimum level of parental care, but there is continuing uncertainty over how much this transition is influenced by parents or offspring. We experimentally cross-fostered Manx shearwater chicks differing in age by 10–14 days and tested two predictions: 1) food-provisioning rate in the period leading up to fledging is related to the...