scholarly journals Great tit (Parus major) breeding in fire-prone oak woods: differential effects of post-fire conditions on reproductive stages

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Bellia ◽  
Daniela Campobello ◽  
Maurizio Sarà
Keyword(s):  
Brood Size ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Avian Species ◽  
Occupancy Rate ◽  
Reproductive Parameters ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Successional Stages ◽  
In Fire

Wildfires negatively affect the overall reproductive success of several woodland avian species, but there is scarce information about which stages of the nesting cycle are specifically affected. We conducted a 3-year study to identify the effects of fire on the reproductive parameters of the great tit (Parus major) and the survival of its nests at different stages of the nesting cycle. We recorded the occupancy rate, clutch and brood size, hatching, fledging and nesting success in nest boxes placed on study plots with different post-fire age. By examining the post-fire succession, we analysed the survival of eggs and nestlings under predation risks. As the forest matured after a wildfire, tits occupied more nest boxes and laid more eggs that suffered less predation than in earlier successional stages. Although the incubation fate improved at each step of succession, the conditions to fully raise nestlings seemed to be suitable only in the oldest woods. Our findings indicate that the population dynamics of a reputed generalist avian species may be affected by fire. Furthermore, the effects of wildfires on stage-specific reproductive parameters show that an avian species that inhabits woodlands regains its full productivity only when its habitat has completely recovered from fire.

scholarly journals Sub-lethal effects of the anticoagulant rodenticides bromadiolone and chlorophacinone on breeding performances of the barn owl (Tyto alba) in oil palm plantations

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasber Salim ◽  
Hafidzi Mohd Noor ◽  
Dzolkhifli Omar ◽  
Noor Hisham Hamid ◽  
Mohd Rizuan Zainal Abidin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Occupancy Rate ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Barn Owls ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Concentration ◽  
Free Area

Abstract This study investigated the effects of the first generation anticoagulant rodenticide chlorophacinone and the second generation rodenticide bromadiolone on the population and breeding performances of barn owls at oil palm plantations. Three treatment plots were established: one baited with chlorophacinone, one with bromadiolone, and the third kept rodenticide-free. Four rat-baiting campaigns which coincided with barn owl breeding season were carried in the rodenticide-treated plots. The occupancy rate of nest boxes, clutch size, brood size and fledging rates of the barn owls in each plot were monitored weekly throughout the study. Freshly regurgitated pellets from barn owls were collected from all occupied nest boxes at weekly intervals during the development of nestlings in each breeding season. The results show that the occupancy rate of the nest boxes was significantly higher in the rodenticide-free area compared with both rodenticide-treated areas. Similarly, the breeding performances, such as clutch size, brood size and fledging success, were higher in the rodenticide-free area compared with the rodenticide-treated areas. Results of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that 20.56% (mean residue: 1 .335 ± 0.073 lg/g) and 28.89% (mean residue: 0.777 ± 0.032 lg/g) of the collected regurgitated pellet samples from the rodenticide-treated areas contained bromadiolone and chlorophacinone residue, respectively. The mean brood size and fledging success of the barn owls showed a strong negative correlation with the mean concentration of rodenticide residues present in the regurgitated pellets and with the percentages of pellets detected having such residues (R2 k 0.44, P < 0.05). Similarly, the mean clutch size of barn owls was negatively correlated with the mean concentration of rodenticide residues and with the percentages of pellets detected with these residues. However, the correlation was not significantly different (R2 k 0.34, P > 0.05). In general, the higher the amount of residues detected, the lower the breeding performance parameters measured in this study

scholarly journals Using nest-boxes in pine stands of the Augustów Forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-143
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Zawadzki ◽  
Jerzy Zawadzki ◽  
Dorota Zawadzka ◽  
Anna Sołtys
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Coal Tit ◽  
Constant Rate ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Pine Stands ◽  
Dendrocopos Major

Abstract In 2011–2014, the occupancy of nest-boxes by secondary hole-nesting birds and their breeding success was investigated in pine stands of the Augustów Forest (North-Eastern Poland). In the studied area of 12600 ha, the share of Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris L. in the stands was 92%. On average, birds occupied 54% and bats 3% of the 224–317 nest boxes controlled yearly. Nest boxes were also used by the Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum L. as food caches. In total, broods of nine secondary hole-nesting species were observed, but only four bird species nested in each year of study. The most numerous species, occupying 53–60% of all boxes each year was the Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca Pall. The Great Tit Parus major L. occupied 15–24% and the Coal Tit Periparus ater L. 10–12% of available nest-boxes, while the Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus L. used 2–7% of nest boxes. The yearly breeding success was highest for tits (Great Tit – 52–84%, Coal Tit – 50–72%) and strongly variable for the Pied Flycatchers – 38–78%. Broods were lost due to predation by martens Martes sp. (38%) and great spotted woodpeckers Dendrocopos major L. (6%) as well as nest competition (2%). The nest-boxes were occupied at a constant rate during the following four years after their exposition. Over 67% of the new nest-boxes were occupied annually which means new nest-boxes (up to 4 years) were occupied significantly more often than boxes older than 4 years.

Effect of Experimentally Altered Brood Size on Frequency and Timing of Second Clutches in the Great Tit

The Auk ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 700-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik G. Smith ◽  
Hans Källander ◽  
Jan-Åke Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Brood Size ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Reproductive Development ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Hatching Date ◽  
Fledgling Survival ◽  
First Clutch ◽  
Second Clutch ◽  
Food Depletion

Abstract Brood size in the Great Tit (Parus major) was manipulated (increased, decreased, or unchanged) when nestlings were 5 days old. Both the frequency of second clutches and the interbrood interval were affected. The number of nestlings and hatching date, but not nestling and female mass, differed between first broods followed and not followed by second clutches. Hatching date and the number of nestlings in the first brood explained most of the variation in interbrood interval, whereas female mass did not contribute. Feeding first-brood nestlings and fledglings is an energy-demanding process, and the female may have to allocate resources to brood-feeding at the expense of reproductive development. Furthermore, a larger brood requires a longer period of feeding than a smaller brood. These circumstances probably explain why the size of the first brood affects the timing of the second clutch. Female condition and food depletion of the territory do not seem to be important. Because late second clutches have a lower probability of fledgling survival than do earlier ones-and consequently are of lower value from the female's standpoint-a large first clutch may delay laying to the point that a second clutch is not worthwhile. We conclude that a female's decision whether to lay a second clutch is a strategic one based on the value of the second clutch; a female that "decides" to lay a second clutch starts as quickly as possible.

scholarly journals Does nest site availability limit the density of hole nesting birds in small woodland patches?

Web Ecology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Loman
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Pied Flycatcher ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Nest Boxes

Abstract. By providing nest boxes, previous studies have shown that nest sites are in short supply and limit the populations of several small passerines, including the Great Tit Parus major, the Blue Tit P. caeruleus, and the Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca. Can this influence their distribution over a range of small woodland patch sizes in a heterogeneous landscape? To investigate this, a study was conducted in a heterogeneous agricultural landscape, with a mixture of wooded patches and cropped fields, in southern Sweden. The descriptive part of the study involved mapping territories of the three species in 135 patches. These species avoided small (<1 ha, Pied Flycatcher) or very small (<0.2 ha, the two tit species) forest patches in this landscape. In an experimental part, a subset of 34 patches, 0.01 to 24 ha in size was used. Territories were mapped in a first year as a control. In a second year, patches were matched by size and vegetation and nest-boxes were provided in one patch of each pair. Territories were again mapped. Providing nestboxes increased the density of breeding Great Tits in patches of all sizes and expanded their use of very small patches. The nest-boxes increased the density of Pied Flycatchers in large patches but not in small patches. So, is the lack of territories in small patches due to shortage of nest sites? The outcome of the experiment suggests nest site limitation as a cause of the observed Great Tit discrimination against very small habitat patches. The lack of Pied Flycatchers in small patches must however have another basis than lack of nest sites. The effect of providing nest-boxes on Blue Tit distribution was inconclusive.

scholarly journals A comparison of the diet of urban and forest great tits in a Mediterranean habitat

2021 ◽  
pp. 321-327
Author(s):  
J. C. Senar ◽  
A. Manzanilla ◽  
D Mazzoni
Keyword(s):  
Parus Major ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Urban Habitat ◽  
Feeding Rates ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Reverse Pattern ◽  
Mediterranean Habitat

The low breeding performance and body condition of nestling passerine birds in urban environments has been attributed to the poor quality and low abundance of food in these settings. However, detailed data on prey provided by parents to their chicks in the urban habitat is scarce. Here we used video cameras set in nest boxes to compare the diet of urban and forest great tits Parus major when provisioning their chicks in a Mediterranean area. We additionally analysed brood size and fledgling success. Breeding success of urban great tits was lower than that of forest birds. Urban parents displayed a lower average hourly feeding rate per nestling than forest parents. Among the three prey item categories, the percentage of spiders did not vary according to habitat. However, the percentage of caterpillars delivered to the nest by great tit parents was higher in the forest than in the urban habitat while the percentage of ‘other’ prey showed a reverse pattern. ‘Other’ prey were mainly adult butterflies and wasps in the urban habitat. Our paper adds to the view that the low feeding rates and scarcity of caterpillars in urban environments may be the underlying cause constraining the growth of great tit nestlings in these areas.

scholarly journals Egg covering in cavity nesting birds may prevent nest usurpation by other species

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Slagsvold ◽  
Karen L. Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
Nest Predation ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Nest Material ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Nest Usurpation ◽  
New Hypothesis

Abstract Some birds cover their eggs with nest material when they leave to forage. It has been suggested that such egg-covering aids thermoregulation or prevents predation but here we present a new hypothesis, that secondary cavity-nesting species cover their eggs to prevent nest usurpation by other birds. When the bottom of the cavity is dark, as when eggs are covered by nest material, it may be difficult for a prospecting competitor to see whether a defending nest owner or a predator is hiding inside the cavity. Competitors may therefore hesitate to enter dark cavities. We filmed 21 great tit (Parus major) nests during the egg-laying period and found that the female spent bouts of highly variable length outside the nest box (range 0.3–250 min, n = 51), so prospecting small passerines would have difficulty predicting whether an aggressive tit owner was in the box or would soon return. We presented prospecting male pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) with a dyad of boxes (n = 93), each containing a great tit nest but only one with visible eggs. Flycatchers hesitated more to enter a nest box with no visible tit eggs than a box with exposed eggs. This was most evident for nest boxes with dark versus light interior paint, supporting the idea that better interior illumination makes prospecting birds more confident about entering an unfamiliar cavity. The usurpation and predation hypotheses are not mutually exclusive because both competitors and small predators may hesitate to enter dark, enclosed spaces if visibility is low. Significance statement Some birds deposit a layer of material on top of the eggs when they leave the nest. Several hypotheses have been proposed for such egg covering, for example that it may insulate the eggs and reduce the risk of nest predation. We propose a new hypothesis, namely that secondary hole-nesting birds cover their eggs when they leave the nest to prevent usurpation of the cavity by other birds. Great tits that we filmed at the nest during the egg-laying period could be absent for long periods. To test the hypothesis, we presented male pied flycatchers, potential nest competitors, with a dyad of nest boxes, each containing a great tit nest but only one with visible tit eggs. In support of the prediction, prospecting flycatchers hesitated to enter dark cavities with dark floors relative to boxes with exposed, reflective eggs.

scholarly journals Influence of Environmental and Density-Dependent Factors on Reproduction of Little Egrets

The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 634-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Bennetts ◽  
Mauro Fasola ◽  
Heinz Hafner ◽  
Yves Kayser
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Reproductive Parameters ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Strong Winds ◽  
Little Egret

AbstractWe evaluated the influence of environmental and density-dependent factors (intraspecific and interspecific) on clutch size, brood size, and nesting success of Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) in the Camargue of southern France. We recorded these reproductive parameters in most years from 1970 to 1998. We used a generalized linear modeling approach (model selection based on AIC) to examine the environmental effects of spring rainfall, winter temperature, and wind on these parameters. We also examined density dependence of these parameters based on the total number of Little Egrets and the total number of tree-nesting herons nesting in these mixed-species colonies. Clutch size was positively associated with rainfall and negatively associated with the number of Little Egret nests in the Camargue. Brood size was negatively associated with the number of Little Egret nests, although rainfall was only significant as an interaction effect with these two effects. Nesting success was negatively associated with the number of tree-nesting herons, the proportion of each colony consisting of Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis), wind speed, and several interactions among these variables. Virtually all of the reproductive parameters that we evaluated were negatively associated with the number of Little Egret nests or the number of tree-nesting herons. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Cattle Egrets displace Little Egrets at some centrally located nest sites. Such sites are better protected from strong winds, which are a common cause of nesting failure.

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