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 Do glucocorticoids predict fitness? Linking environmental conditions, corticosterone and reproductive success in the blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
pp. 170875 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Henderson ◽  
N. P. Evans ◽  
B. J. Heidinger ◽  
K. A. Herborn ◽  
K. E. Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
Fledging Success ◽  
Harsh Conditions ◽  
Blue Tits

Glucocorticoids, including corticosterone (CORT), have been suggested to provide a physiological link between ecological conditions and fitness. Specifically, CORT, which is elevated in response to harsh conditions, is predicted to be correlated with reduced fitness. Yet, empirical studies show that CORT can be non-significantly, positively and negatively linked with fitness. Divergent environmental conditions between years or study systems may influence whether CORT is linked to fitness. To test this, we monitored free-living blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus ) during breeding over 3 years. We quantified foraging conditions during brood rearing, and examined whether they were correlated with parental baseline CORT and reproductive success. We then tested whether CORT predicted fitness. Elevated parental CORT was associated with lower temperatures, greater rainfall and lower territory-scale oak density. Whereas asynchrony with the caterpillar food peak was correlated with reduced nestling mass and fledging success, but not parental CORT. Only low temperatures were associated with both reduced nestling mass and elevated parental CORT. Despite this, parents with elevated CORT had lighter offspring in all years. Contrarily, in 2009 parental CORT was positively correlated with the number fledged. The absence of a direct link between the foraging conditions that reduce nestling quality and elevate parental CORT suggests that parental CORT may provide a holistic measure of conditions where parents are working harder to meet the demands of developing young. As the positive correlation between parental CORT and fledging success differed between years, this suggests that contrasting conditions between years can influence correlations between parental CORT and fitness. Ultimately, as CORT concentrations are intrinsically variable and linked to the prevalent conditions, studies that incorporate environmental harshness will improve our understanding of evolutionary endocrinology.

scholarly journals Does mist-netting provide reliable data to determine the sex and age ratios of migrating birds? A case study involving the Great Tit (Parus major) and the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

2013 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarosław K. Nowakowski ◽  
Jacek Chruściel ◽  
Krzysztof Muś
Keyword(s):  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Reliable Data ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Baltic Coast ◽  
Migrating Birds ◽  
Blue Tits ◽  
Age And Sex

AbstractNowakowski J.K., Chruściel J., Muś K.: Does mist-netting provide reliable data to determine the sex and age ratios of migrating birds? A case study involving the Great Tit (Parus major) and the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). Ekologia (Bratislava), Vol. 32, No. 2, p. 173-185 , 2013.Ringing results of tits caught at two stations on the Polish Baltic coast were used to check if mistnetting could be successfully used to analyse the composition of sex and age classes of migrating birds. Four hypotheses are discussed, describing the distribution of age and sex classes during migration, and the consequences these distributions might have for the catching results. We analysed records of 59 000 Blue Tits and more than 84 000 Great Tits that were caught and we found a similarity in the results of catches at stations 188 km apart, and a higher similarity among catching sites 0.5-16 km apart. These results proved that mist-netting provides reliable data on the sex and age structure of migrating flocks, and that these data can generally be interpreted as representative for at least the area in a radius of more than 10 km. The results also showed a migratory divide through the central part of the Polish Baltic coastline between irruptive Blue Tits in the west and regular partial migrants in the east. Great Tits showed no tendency for irruptions anywhere in the study area. A high correspondence in the age and sex ratio was found for Great Tits and Blue Tits, in particular where both species are regular migrants. We found that the ratios of females and immatures did not differ by more than 1% over many years of study in these areas.

scholarly journals Do Partial and Regular Migrants Differ in Their Responses to Weather?

The Auk ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 537-547
Author(s):  
Anna L. K. Nilsson ◽  
Thomas Alerstam ◽  
Jan-Åke Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Migratory Activity ◽  
Partial Migrant ◽  
Orientation Cues ◽  
Calm Weather ◽  
Blue Tits ◽  
Good Visibility

AbstractPartial migration is often considered a transitory stage between migration and residency, and whether partial migrants take weather conditions into account during migration is largely unknown. To assess whether partial migrants differ from regular migrants in their responses to weather, we compared the migratory intensity of a partial migrant, the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), with more regular migrants in relation to weather at a migratory passage site in southern Sweden (Falsterbo) during the years 1993–2002. The regular migrants in the study were Linnet (Carduelis cannabina), Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), Brambling (F. montifringilla), and European Robin (Erithacus rubecula). The Blue Tit differed from the regular migrants mainly in showing a striking negative correlation between migratory activity and cloud cover. Also, weather had the highest explanatory power for migratory intensity in the Blue Tit. This suggests that the Blue Tit is more sensitive to weather conditions on migration than the regular migrants and that it preferably awaits days with wholly or partly clear skies before migrating past Falsterbo. As a consequence, Blue Tits usually restrict their migratory flights to the safest occasions, with relatively calm weather, good visibility, and all orientation cues (solar as well as magnetic) available.¿Difieren los Migrantes Parciales y Regulares en sus Respuestas al Clima?

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 The effect of social information from live demonstrators compared to video playback on blue tit foraging decisions

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liisa Hämäläinen ◽  
Hannah M. Rowland ◽  
Johanna Mappes ◽  
Rose Thorogood
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Information ◽  
Video Playback ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Foraging Decisions ◽  
Foraging Task ◽  
Blue Tits ◽  
Live Bird

Video playback provides a promising method to study social interactions, and the number of video playback experiments has been growing in recent years. Using videos has advantages over live individuals as it increases the repeatability of demonstrations, and enables researchers to manipulate the features of the presented stimulus. How observers respond to video playback might, however, differ among species, and the efficacy of video playback should be validated by investigating if individuals’ responses to videos are comparable to their responses to live demonstrators. Here, we use a novel foraging task to compare blue tits’ (Cyanistes caeruleus) responses to social information from a live conspecific vs video playback. Birds first received social information about the location of food, and were then presented with a three-choice foraging task where they could search for food from locations marked with different symbols (cross, square, plain white). Two control groups saw only a foraging tray with similar symbols but no information about the location of food. We predicted that socially educated birds would prefer the same location where a demonstrator had foraged, but we found no evidence that birds copied a demonstrator’s choice, regardless of how social information was presented. Social information, however, had an influence on blue tits’ foraging choices, as socially educated birds seemed to form a stronger preference for a square symbol (against two other options, cross and plain white) than the control birds. Our results suggest that blue tits respond to video playback of a conspecific similarly as to a live bird, but how they use this social information in their foraging decisions, remains unclear.

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 A fixed agreement—consequences of brood size manipulation on alternation in blue tits

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maaike Griffioen ◽  
Wendt Müller ◽  
Arne Iserbyt
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Conditional Cooperation ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Directional Change ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Blue Tits

Recent studies have proposed that conditional cooperation may resolve sexual conflict over the amount of care provided by each parent. Such conditional cooperation may allow parents to equalize their investment by alternating their provisioning visits. This alternated pattern of male and female visits, that is, alternation, is thought to stimulate each other’s investment leading to higher levels of provisioning and potential benefits for offspring development. However, experimental studies testing the role of alternation as an adaptive parental strategy to negotiate the level of investment are still absent. Therefore, we manipulated blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) parents by temporarily changing their brood sizes to induce changes in demand and thus visit rates. Parents were expected to visit more—assuming that prey sizes were constant—and alternate at higher levels when confronted with an enlarged brood given the greater potential for sexual conflict. In contrast, in reduced broods visit rates and alternation may become lower due to the smaller investment that is needed for reduced broods. We show that the level of alternation did not differ in response to the manipulated brood sizes, despite a directional change in visit rates for enlarged and reduced broods as expected. Nestlings did not benefit from high levels of alternation as no effects on nestling mass gain were present in either of the different manipulations. These findings indicate that alternation does not serve as a mechanism to motivate each other to feed at higher rates. Parents hence appeared to be inflexible in their level of alternation. We therefore suggest that the level of alternation might reflect a fixed agreement about the relative investment by each of the caring parents.

scholarly journals A Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus population: its recent increase and breeding data

Ornis Svecica ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (1–2) ◽  
pp. 19-24
Author(s):  
Karl Gustav Schölin ◽  
Hans Källander
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
South Central ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Blue Tits

Before 1983, Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus never made up more than four pairs of the breeding population in a nestbox study carried out in South Central Sweden. From five breeding pairs in 1983, the population increased to 29 pairs in 2007 and remained high to the end of the study in 2011. Mean laying date was strongly correlated with mean April temperature, which increased during 1983–2011. During the same period mean laying date became nearly ten days earlier. Mean clutch size was 9.90 eggs but varied both within and between years and showed a negative relationship to population size. The mean number of fledglings varied strongly between years, partly because of predation but also due to nestling starvation.

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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