scholarly journals Experimental manipulation of nocturnal nest cavity temperature in wild blue tits

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily G. Simmonds ◽  
Ben C. Sheldon ◽  
Tim Coulson ◽  
Ella F. Cole
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Nest Temperature ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Experimental Treatments ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Blue Tits

AbstractAdvances in the timing of reproduction in temperate species are some of the most well documented biotic responses to increasing global temperatures. However, the magnitude and rate of these advances in timing are not equal across all taxonomic groups. These differences can lead to disruption of interspecific relationships if species respond differently to temperature changes. Understanding the relationship between temperature and phenology is a key step in predicting future population trends for species living in seasonal environments. However, experimentally manipulating temperature in the wild is logistically challenging and has consequently rarely been attempted. In this study we experimentally test whether in-nest temperatures in early spring act as a cue for breeding phenology in a population of wild blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). We split nests into three treatments; heated, cooled, and control. In-nest temperature in the heated and cooled boxes was manipulated by an average of ± 0.6 °C from control temperatures using heating devices and ice packs respectively. We assessed the impact of our experimental manipulation on box occupancy and reproductive timing. We found trends towards earlier phenology in heated nest boxes in addition to a higher occupancy rate in cooled boxes, however neither of these trends was found to be statistically significant. Our ability to distinguish statistical signals was hampered by unexpectedly low occupancy rates across all experimental treatments. Based on the results we cannot say if nocturnal in-nest temperature is an important cue for nest box choice or the timing of laying.

scholarly journals Nest decoration: birds exploit a fear of feathers to guard their nest from usurpation

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Slagsvold ◽  
Karen L. Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
Tree Swallow ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Structural Support ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Nest Usurpation ◽  
Nest Materials

Many species of birds incorporate feathers into their nest as structural support and to insulate the eggs or offspring. Here, we investigated the novel idea that birds reduce the risk of nest usurpation by decorating it with feathers to trigger a fear response in their rivals. We let prospecting birds choose between a dyad of nest-boxes in the wild, both containing some nest materials, but where one had a few white feathers and the other had none. All three species of cavity-nesting birds studied, the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca , the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus , and the tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor , hesitated to enter boxes with white feathers. A similar avoidance of white feathers was found when the alternative nest-box of a dyad held black feathers. However, the birds readily collected white feathers that we placed in front of their nest-box, showing the fear of such feathers was context-dependent. We suggest that naive prospecting birds may perceive feathers in nests as the result of a predation event, and that owners decorate nests with bright feathers that can be seen from the opening to deter others from entering.

scholarly journals Decomposing phenotypic skew and its effects on the predicted response to strong selection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel L Pick ◽  
Hannah Lemon ◽  
Caroline Elizabeth Thomson ◽  
Jarrod Hadfield
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Quantitative Genetics ◽  
Selection Response ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Directional Selection ◽  
The Body ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Blue Tits

The major frameworks for predicting evolutionary change assume that a phenotype's underlying genetic and environmental components are normally distributed. However, the predictions of these frameworks may no longer hold if distributions are skewed. Despite this, phenotypic skew has never been decomposed, meaning the fundamental assumptions of quantitative genetics remain untested. Here, we demonstrate that the substantial phenotypic skew in the body size of juvenile blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) is driven by environmental factors. Although skew had little impact on our predictions of selection response in this case, our results highlight the impact of skew on the estimation of inheritance and selection. Specifically, the non-linear parent-offspring regressions induced by skew, alongside selective disappearance, can strongly bias estimates of heritability. The ubiquity of skew and strong directional selection on juvenile body size implies that heritability is commonly overestimated, which may in part explain the discrepancy between predicted and observed trait evolution.

Why do Corsican Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus ogliastrae not use nest boxes for roosting?

2009 ◽  
Vol 151 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
André A. Dhondt ◽  
Jacques Blondel ◽  
Philippe Perret
Keyword(s):  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Blue Tits

scholarly journals Can eggs in a cavity be a female secondary sexual signal? Male nest visits and modelling of egg visual discrimination in blue tits

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Jeanne Holveck ◽  
Claire Doutrelant ◽  
Romain Guerreiro ◽  
Philippe Perret ◽  
Doris Gomez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Discrimination ◽  
Colour Vision ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Secondary Sexual Trait ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Dim Light ◽  
Female Specific ◽  
Blue Tits ◽  
Secondary Sexual

Eggshell colouration is thought to function as a female-specific secondary sexual trait. While tests of this idea are rapidly accumulating in cavity-nesting birds, some fundamental underlying assumptions remain rarely investigated: namely, can males see eggshell coloration and perceive colour differences between the eggs of different females? We tested these two key assumptions in a natural population of blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus ). Using transponders, we tracked male nest visits and found that all males visited their nest-boxes while eggs were present and often visually accessible. Interestingly, some males also visited neighbouring nests. We then tested whether birds could detect eggshell coloration using models of avian colour vision; models were performed with and without limitations on visual performance owing to dim light. Both models found that differences in eggshell brightness were often easier to discriminate than differences in colour; there was more contrast in white eggshell background between clutches than within and its contrast against nest background was repeatable within clutches, suggesting these features could act as signals. Yet, the detectability of these contrasts depended entirely on model assumptions of visual limitations. Consequently, we need a better understanding of underlying visual mechanisms in dim-light environments and behavioural discrimination experiments before confirming the signalling potential of eggshell coloration.

scholarly journals Social learning in birds and its role in shaping a foraging niche

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1567) ◽  
pp. 969-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Slagsvold ◽  
Karen L. Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Foraging Niche ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences ◽  
Blue Tits

We briefly review the literature on social learning in birds, concluding that strong evidence exists mainly for predator recognition, song, mate choice and foraging. The mechanism of local enhancement may be more important than imitation for birds learning to forage, but the former mechanism may be sufficient for faithful transmission depending on the ecological circumstances. To date, most insights have been gained from birds in captivity. We present a study of social learning of foraging in two passerine birds in the wild, where we cross-fostered eggs between nests of blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus and great tits, Parus major . Early learning causes a shift in the foraging sites used by the tits in the direction of the foster species. The shift in foraging niches was consistent across seasons, as showed by an analysis of prey items, and the effect lasted for life. The fact that young birds learn from their foster parents, and use this experience later when subsequently feeding their own offspring, suggests that foraging behaviour can be culturally transmitted over generations in the wild. It may therefore have both ecological and evolutionary consequences, some of which are discussed.

scholarly journals Microclimate, CO2 and CH4 concentration on Blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) nests: effects of brood size, nestling age and on ectoparasites

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Castaño-Vázquez ◽  
Santiago Merino ◽  
Soledad Cuezva ◽  
Sergio Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Brood Size ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Nestling Period ◽  
Ch4 Concentration ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Blowfly Pupae ◽  
Blue Tits

ABSTRACTThe presence of nestlings and other nest dwelling living beings in nests built in cavities could alter the composition of gases inside the cavity. In addition, this different concentration of gases could be used by some parasites as a cue to localize their hosts. Here, we explored the temporal variation in the concentration and isotopic signature of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) inside nest boxes of blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus during the nestling period (days 3, 8, 13, 20 and 21 post-hatching). Concentration of gases and isotopic signature were significantly different inside of nests than outside (forest) during the nestling period. CO2 concentration was higher inside nest while CH4 was lower than in forest air. The differences in the concentration of CO2 between nest boxes and forest were higher on days 8th and 20th of nestling age than in other ages while the CH4 was lower on day 20th of nestling age than in other ages. Moreover, CO2 variation was positive and significantly related with brood size and negative and significantly with hatching date. The difference of CO2 between inside of nests and forest on 8th day of nestling age were negative and significantly related to flea larvae abundance as measured at the end of the nestling period. A significant positive relationship was found between the difference of CH4 between nests and forest and the final abundance of flea larvae for the same nestling age. In addition, flea larvae abundance was positive and significantly related with the relative humidity in nests at 8 days of nestling age. Moreover, blowfly pupae abundance was negative and significantly related with the difference of temperature in nests at 3 day of nestling age. The condition of blue tit females was negative and significantly related with the abundance of blowfly pupae.

scholarly journals Learning the ecological niche

2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1606) ◽  
pp. 19-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Slagsvold ◽  
Karen L Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Feeding Niche ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Cross Fostering ◽  
Blue Tits

A cornerstone of ecological theory is the ecological niche. Yet little is known about how individuals come to adopt it: whether it is innate or learned. Here, we report a cross-fostering experiment in the wild where we transferred eggs of blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus , to nests of great tits, Parus major , and vice versa, to quantify the consequences of being reared in a different social context, but in an environment otherwise natural to the birds. We show that early learning causes a shift in the feeding niche in the direction of the foster species and that this shift lasts for life (foraging conservatism). Both species changed their feeding niches, but the change was greater in the great tit with its less specialized feeding behaviour. The study shows that cultural transmission through early learning is fundamental to the realization of ecological niches, and suggests a mechanism to explain learned habitat preference and sympatric speciation in animals.

Conspecific aggression strategies are conditioned by environmental, social and intrinsic variables in breeding blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-37
Author(s):  
Adara C. Velasco ◽  
Esperanza S. Ferrer ◽  
Juan José Sanz
Keyword(s):  
Network Analysis ◽  
Habitat Structure ◽  
Aggressive Display ◽  
Territory Quality ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Male Condition ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Conspecific Aggression ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Blue Tits

Abstract Territorial behaviour arises as a strategy of ensuring individuals’ access to a variety of potentially limiting resources. While aggressiveness is a well-studied widespread trait across taxa, the mechanisms that allow for a range of aggressive phenotypes to coexist in the wild remains unclear. In this study, we analyse environmental, social and intrinsic variables that can modulate the expression of different strategies of male–male aggressiveness. Furthermore, through network analysis we explore the role of this trait in the establishment of territories during the breeding season as the intensity of different aggressiveness strategies may limit or grant access to resources. Simulating territorial intrusions during the early incubation period, we assessed the aggressiveness of breeding male blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). We defined three types of conspecific aggressiveness (nonconfrontational intimidating, nonconfrontational cautious and confrontational) and analysed the effect of habitat structure, territory quality, presence of other breeding species and male condition on the type and intensity of the aggressive display. The results obtained suggest that yearling males rely on intimidating behaviour more than older males, that perform more cautious displays. Furthermore, smaller and heavier males opted for confrontational strategies. The density and nature of neighbours, as well as the territory quality and the habitat structure, also conditioned the intensity and type of display. Surprisingly, the network analysis revealed that the intensity of male–male aggressive displays did not condition the establishment of breeding territories. Our results suggest that aggressiveness is a context-specific trait shaped by a complex array of environmental and intrinsic parameters.

scholarly journals Faecal metabarcoding reveals pervasive long-distance impacts of garden bird feeding

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1951) ◽  
pp. 20210480
Author(s):  
Jack D. Shutt ◽  
Urmi H. Trivedi ◽  
James A. Nicholls
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Urban Ecosystems ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Supplementary Feeding ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Supplementary Food ◽  
The Impact

Supplementary feeding of wildlife is widespread, being undertaken by more than half of households in many countries. However, the impact that these supplemental resources have is unclear, with impacts largely considered to be restricted to urban ecosystems. We reveal the pervasiveness of supplementary foodstuffs in the diet of a wild bird using metabarcoding of blue tit ( Cyanistes caeruleus ) faeces collected in early spring from a 220 km transect in Scotland with a large urbanization gradient. Supplementary foodstuffs were present in the majority of samples, with peanut ( Arachis hypogaea ) the single commonest (either natural or supplementary) dietary item. Consumption rates exhibited a distance decay from human habitation but remained high at several hundred metres from the nearest household and continued to our study limit of 1.4 km distant. Supplementary food consumption was associated with a near quadrupling of blue tit breeding density and a 5-day advancement of breeding phenology. We show that woodland bird species using supplementary food have increasing UK population trends, while species that do not, and/or are outcompeted by blue tits, are likely to be declining. We suggest that the impacts of supplementary feeding are larger and more spatially extensive than currently appreciated and could be disrupting population and ecosystem dynamics.

scholarly journals Use of landmarks for nest site choice and small-scale navigation to the nest in birds

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 158 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 705-726
Author(s):  
Tore Slagsvold ◽  
Karen L. Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
Nest Site ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Ficedula Hypoleuca ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Cavity Opening ◽  
Nest Site Choice ◽  
Blue Tits

Abstract Nest sites of animals are often concealed to keep vulnerable offspring from being detected by predators. Parents may use landmarks near the nest to relocate it quickly. We allowed blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) to choose between two nest boxes fixed on the same tree with either none, the same, or different white painted markings. Surprisingly, the female brought material to both boxes and sometimes laid eggs in both. In a second experiment, we let pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and great tits (Parus major) become familiar with a marking on the initial nest box and then let them choose between two new nest boxes erected on different, nearby trees. Neither species preferred the box with the matching mark. In nature, the birds may locate the correct entrance of a cavity using other landmarks near the nest opening, like branches and the height of the cavity opening above the ground.

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