The effects of an ectoparasite on reproductive success in the great tit: a 3-year experimental study

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klas Allander
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Parasite Abundance ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Size Number ◽  
Social Habits ◽  
Breeding Seasons

The effects of ectoparasites on host reproductive success have been studied in a variety of bird species. Most of these studies concern either colonial or hole-nesting birds, which have been suspected of being particularly susceptible to parasites because of their social habits and (or) reuse of old nests. The effects of a horizontally transmitted flea, Ceratophyllus gallinae, on the reproductive success of hole-nesting great tits,Parus major, were experimentally studied over 3 years. Leaving nests in nest boxes in the intervals between breeding seasons does not result in a significant increase in parasite abundance in comparison with nest boxes cleaned between seasons. Flea abundance was reduced by spraying random nests with an insecticide during host egg laying. There were no significant effects of ectoparasite removal on clutch size, number of fledged young, hatching success, or fledging success in any of the 3 years, although a significant interaction between year and treatment in nestling body mass was observed. Thus, in 1 of the 3 years, body mass of nestlings in the sprayed boxes was, on average, significantly greater than that of controls. There was also a negative correlation between flea abundance and mean body mass of the brood. In addition, nestlings produced in flea-free boxes had a significantly higher probability of recruiting locally than nestlings from control nests. The effects of ectoparasites seem to vary over time and also among host populations, which implies that the effects of parasites may interact with other environmental factors.

scholarly journals No relationship between female emergence time from the roosting place and extrapair paternity

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 650-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lotte Schlicht ◽  
Mihai Valcu ◽  
Peter Loës ◽  
Alexander Girg ◽  
Bart Kempenaers
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Emergence Time ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Extrapair Paternity ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Abstract In several bird species, the period around dawn seems important for extrapair behavior. For example, a study on great tits (Parus major) showed that females that emerged earlier from their roosting place during the peak of their fertile period were more likely to have extrapair young in their brood. We investigated the potential effect of female emergence times on extrapair behavior in the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). First, we tested the relationship between natural female emergence times from the nest-box and the presence or frequency of extrapair offspring in the brood, using 4 years of data. Females progressively emerged earlier from the nest-box as egg laying approached, with the earliest emergence 2 days before the start of laying. However, we found no relationship between female emergence time and the occurrence of extrapair young in the brood. Secondly, in 2 breeding seasons, we experimentally advanced female emergence times by supplying the roosting females with additional light in the early morning. Although the experiment had inconsistent effects on the occurrence of extrapair young in the brood, we found no evidence that female emergence time during peak fertility is directly linked to extrapair paternity. Interestingly, females exposed to artificial light were more likely to return to breed in the next year.

scholarly journals Interactive Communication Between Male and Female Great Tits (Parus Major) During the Dawn Chorus

The Auk ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leen Gorissen ◽  
Marcel Eens
Keyword(s):  
Life Histories ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Interactive Communication ◽  
Dawn Chorus ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Interactive Behavior ◽  
Song Birds ◽  
Dawn Song

Abstract Studies of the dawn chorus in birds have focused mainly on the behavior and song output of males and on the function(s) of male song. Less attention has been paid to the females' behavior and to communication between members of a pair. In Great Tits (Parus major), males sing vigorously at dawn in the vicinity of the female's nest hole just before and during egg laying. We studied the female's vocal behavior during the dawn chorus as well as communication between pair members. All females vocally interacted with their mates from inside the nest box. Females produced a sound with a very low sound-pressure level only audible from few meters, which we have named the “quiet call.” This quiet call was unique to females and was only produced from inside the nest box. To our knowledge, our study is the first to show that both members of a pair vocally interact during the dawn chorus. Given that many temperate-zone bird species have similar life histories as the Great Tit, it is very likely that similar interactive behavior occurs in other (song)birds. This interactive behavior may provide a new and manipulable tool for testing hypotheses about the dawn song and can be used as a future bioassay of male vocalizations.

scholarly journals The effect of climate change on the duration of avian breeding seasons: a meta-analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1867) ◽  
pp. 20171710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucyna Halupka ◽  
Konrad Halupka
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Ecological Flexibility ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Many bird species are advancing the timing of their egg-laying in response to a warming climate. Little is known, however, of whether this advancement affects the respective length of the breeding seasons. A meta-analysis of 65 long-term studies of 54 species from the Northern Hemisphere has revealed that within the last 45 years an average population has lengthened the season by 1.4 days per decade, which was independent from changes in mean laying dates. Multi-brooded birds have prolonged their seasons by 4 days per decade, while single-brooded have shortened by 2 days. Changes in season lengths covaried with local climate changes: warming was correlated with prolonged seasons in multi-brooded species, but not in single-brooders. This might be a result of higher ecological flexibility of multi-brooded birds, whereas single brooders may have problems with synchronizing their reproduction with the peak of food resources. Sedentary species and short-distance migrants prolonged their breeding seasons more than long-distance migrants, which probably cannot track conditions at their breeding grounds. We conclude that as long as climate warming continues without major changes in ecological conditions, multi-brooded or sedentary species will probably increase their reproductive output, while the opposite effect may occur in single-brooded or migratory birds.

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.

Dawn Singing in the Great Tit (Parus Major): Mate Attraction, Mate Guarding, or Territorial Defence?

Behaviour ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 131 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 115-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Slagsvold ◽  
Glenn-Peter SÆTRE ◽  
Svein Dale
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Passerine Bird ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Resident Male ◽  
Conflicting Demands

AbstractIn a number of passerine bird species, mated males sing at dawn and this song activity peaks in the fertile period of the mate. We present the hypothesis that an important function of such dawn singing is to maintain the territory. We suggest that mate guarding and territorial defence are demanding and often mutually exclusive activities. Losing paternity is so costly that males give priority to mate guarding. Males therefore use the early morning period, before their mate emerges from the roost, to claim territory ownership. We report some preliminary tests of this hypothesis from a study of great tits (Parus major). Simulating male intrusion by a playback experiment showed that the resident male was more often absent from central parts of the territory, following the mate, during the periods of nest building and egg laying than during incubation. This supports the assumption of conflicting demands between mate following and territorial defence. From the hypothesis we expected males to spend effort in defending their territory as soon as they were free to do so. Consistent with this prediction, we found that male song activity was high before the mate left the nest at dawn, when she temporarily visited the nest during the day, and when she entered the nest to roost at night. A female removal experiment showed that unmated males, having no mate to guard, sang as much at dawn as mated males. Only one of the eight widowed males succeeded to replace their mate. We discuss some alternative functions of dawn singing in the great tit, such as attraction of own mate, a replacement mate, and extra-pair mates. We conclude that the hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, and song may serve multiple purposes.

scholarly journals Carry-over body mass effect from winter to breeding in a resident seabird, the little penguin

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 140390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Salton ◽  
Claire Saraux ◽  
Peter Dann ◽  
André Chiaradia
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Breeding Success ◽  
Mass Effect ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Austral Winter ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
Breeding Seasons ◽  
Little Penguin ◽  
Carry Over Effect

Using body mass and breeding data of individual penguins collected continuously over 7 years (2002–2008), we examined carry-over effects of winter body mass on timing of laying and breeding success in a resident seabird, the little penguin ( Eudyptula minor ). The austral winter month of July consistently had the lowest rate of colony attendance, which confirmed our expectation that penguins work hard to find resources at this time between breeding seasons. Contrary to our expectation, body mass in winter (July) was equal or higher than in the period before (‘moult-recovery’) and after (‘pre-breeding’) in 5 of 7 years for males and in all 7 years for females. We provided evidence of a carry-over effect of body mass from winter to breeding; females and males with higher body mass in winter were more likely to breed early and males with higher body mass in winter were likely to breed successfully. Sex differences might relate to sex-specific breeding tasks, where females may use their winter reserves to invest in egg-laying, whereas males use their winter reserves to sustain the longer fasts ashore during courtship. Our findings suggest that resident seabirds like little penguins can also benefit from a carry-over effect of winter body mass on subsequent breeding.

Thrush anvils are calcium source hotspots for many bird species

2019 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-610
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Kwieciński ◽  
Zuzanna M Rosin ◽  
Łukasz Jankowiak ◽  
Tim H Sparks ◽  
Piotr Tryjanowski
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Calcium Source ◽  
Glass Bottles ◽  
Shell Fragments

Abstract Calcium is one of the most important elements determining reproductive success in birds, and snail shells are a well-known source of calcium for egg-laying females. In Europe, song thrushes, Turdus philomelos, break snails open at locations called anvils, eat the soft parts and leave the broken shells. Based on observational studies in 2011–2017 in western Poland, we showed that thrush anvils were visited by 54 other bird species (mainly smaller species) that collected the broken shell fragments. The frequency of visits to anvils differed among species and changed over the course of the breeding season, but anvils were especially used by females during the pre-laying period. Our study is the first description of such widespread exploitation of thrush anvils by other bird species, and we think that this phenomenon has been overlooked owing to the difficulties in recording anvils located, for example, on single small stones, stumps of felled trees and man-made objects such as glass bottles. We conclude that thrush anvils can be an important source of calcium for many bird species that adapt behaviourally to use these places. Hence, anvils should be recognized as localized hotspots for bird diversity.

scholarly journals Increasing Survival of Wild Macaw Chicks Using Foster Parents and Supplemental Feeding

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Gabriela Vigo-Trauco ◽  
Rony Garcia-Anleu ◽  
Donald J. Brightsmith
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Supplemental Feeding ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Ara Macao ◽  
Scarlet Macaw ◽  
Breeding Seasons ◽  
Parrot Population

The use of foster parents has great potential to help the recovery of highly endangered bird species. However, few studies have shown how to successfully use these techniques in wild populations. Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao macao) in Perú hatch 2–4 chicks per nest but about 24% of all chicks die of starvation and on average just 1.4 of them fledge per successful nest. In this study we develop and test new techniques to increase survival of wild Scarlet Macaw chicks by reducing chick starvation. We hypothesized that using foster parents would increase the survival of chicks at risk of starvation and increase overall reproductive success. Our results show that all relocated macaw chicks were successfully accepted by their foster parents (n = 28 chicks over 3 consecutive breeding seasons) and 89% of the relocated chicks fledged. Overall, we increased fledging success per available nest from 17% (2000 to 2016 average) to 25% (2017 to 2019) and decreased chick death by starvation from 19% to 4%. These findings show that the macaw foster parents technique and post relocation supplemental feeding provide a promising management tool to aid wild parrot population recovery in areas with low reproductive success.

scholarly journals Double-brooding and annual breeding success of great tits in urban and forest habitats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boglárka Bukor ◽  
Gábor Seress ◽  
Ivett Pipoly ◽  
Krisztina Sándor ◽  
Csenge Sinkovics ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Habitat Differences ◽  
Double Brooding ◽  
Breeding Seasons ◽  
Forest Habitats

Abstract Urban areas differ from natural habitats in several environmental features that influence the characteristics of animals living there. For example, birds often start breeding seasonally earlier and fledge fewer offspring per brood in cities than in natural habitats. However, longer breeding seasons in cities may increase the frequency of double-brooding in urban compared to non-urban populations, thus potentially increasing urban birds’ annual reproductive output and resulting in lower habitat difference in reproductive success than estimated by studies focusing on first clutches only. In this study, we investigated two urban and two forests great tit Parus major populations from 2013 to 2019. We compared the probability of double-brooding and the total number of annually fledged chicks per female between urban and forest habitats, while controlling for the effects of potentially confounding variables. There was a trend for a higher probability of double-brooding in urban (44% of females) than in forest populations (36%), although this was not consistent between the two urban sites. Females produced significantly fewer fledglings annually in the cities than in the forest sites, and this difference was present both within single- and double-brooded females. Furthermore, double-brooded urban females produced a similar number of fledglings per season as single-brooded forest females. These results indicate that double-brooding increases the reproductive success of female great tits in both habitats, but urban females cannot effectively compensate in this way for their lower reproductive output per brood. However, other mechanisms, like increased post-fledging survival can mitigate habitat differences in reproductive success.

scholarly journals Effects of research disturbance on nest survival in a mixed colony of waterbirds

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7844
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Champagnon ◽  
Hugo Carré ◽  
Lisa Gili
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Daily Survival Rate ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Control Zone ◽  
Daily Survival ◽  
Disturbed Zone ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Background Long-term research is crucial for the conservation and development of knowledge in ecology; however, it is essential to quantify and minimize any negative effects associated with research to gather reliable and representative long-term monitoring data. In colonial bird species, chicks are often marked with coded bands in order to assess demographic parameters of the population. Banding chicks in multi-species colonies is challenging because it involves disturbances to species that are at different stages of progress in their reproduction. Methods We took advantage of a long term banding program launched on Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) breeding in a major mixed colony of herons in Camargue, southern France, to assess the effect of banding operation disturbance on the reproductive success of the three most numerous waterbirds species in the colony. Over two breeding seasons (2015 and 2016), 336 nests of Glossy Ibis, Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) and Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) were monitored from a floating blind in two zones of the colony: one zone disturbed twice a year by the banding activities and another not disturbed (control zone). We applied a logistic-exposure analysis method to estimate the daily survival rate (DSR) of nests and chicks aged up to three weeks. Results Daily survival rate of Glossy Ibis was reduced in the disturbed zone while DSR increased for Little and Cattle Egrets in the disturbed zone. Nevertheless, DSR was not reduced on the week following the banding, thus discarding a direct effect of handling on breeding success of Glossy Ibis. The protocol and statistical analysis presented here are robust and can be applied to any bird species to test for the effect of a research disturbance or other short and repeated temporal events that may affect reproductive success over one or more breeding seasons.

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