NEST SITES AND NEST WEBS FOR CAVITY-NESTING COMMUNITIES IN INTERIOR BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA: NEST CHARACTERISTICS AND NICHE PARTITIONING

The Condor ◽  
10.1650/7482 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy Martin ◽  
Kathryn E. H. Aitken ◽  
Karen L. Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Cavity Nesting

scholarly journals Nest Sites and Nest Webs for Cavity-Nesting Communities in Interior British Columbia, Canada: Nest Characteristics and Niche Partitioning

The Condor ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy Martin ◽  
Kathryn E. H. Aitken ◽  
Karen L. Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pseudotsuga Menziesii ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Sturnus Vulgaris ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Cavity Nesters ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Colaptes Auratus

Abstract The mixed forests of interior British Columbia, Canada, support a rich community of cavity nesters, accounting for about one-third of forest vertebrate species. For 20 cavity-nesting bird and six cavity-nesting mammal species, representing excavators and secondary cavity nesters, we measured nest-cavity and nest-tree characteristics over 8 years in Interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forest ecosystems. There was overwhelming selection for quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides); 95% of 1692 cavity nests were in aspen, which comprised only 15% of trees available. The full range of live and dead trees were used, but we observed a strong preference for live trees with decay (45% of nests) or dead trees (45% of nests). A cluster analysis based on tree and cavity characteristics divided the community into five groups, including large- and medium-sized woodpeckers and a group comprised mostly of weak excavators. A fourth group included Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus), the most abundant excavator, and the larger secondary cavity nesters. The final group contained the most aggressive and most abundant secondary cavity nesters. European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), the most aggressive secondary cavity nester, occupied a narrower nest niche (in less-decayed trees with smaller entrances) relative to their size. Less-competitive excavators and secondary cavity nesters occupied wider nest niches in terms of tree decay class and cavity size. We constructed a nest web for community structure that showed most cavity resource use flowed up the community through aspen trees and cavities excavated by Northern Flickers. Thus, aspen was the critical nesting tree and Northern Flickers were the keystone excavators in this community. Sitios de Nidificación y Redes de Nidos en Comunidades que Nidifican en Cavidades en el Interior de British Columbia, Canadá: Características de los Nidos y Separación de Nichos Resumen. Los bosques mixtos del interior de British Columbia, Canadá, albergan una rica comunidad de animales que nidifican en cavidades, los cuales representan aproximadamente un tercio de las especies de vertebrados de bosque. En este estudio medimos características de las cavidades y de los árboles de nidificación para 20 especies de aves y seis de mamíferos que nidifican en cavidades (incluyendo especies excavadoras y las que utilizan cavidades secundariamente) a lo largo de ocho años en ecosistemas de bosque interior de Pseudotsuga menziesii. Hubo una selección abrumadora de árboles de la especie Populus tremuloides; el 95% de 1692 cavidades de nidificación se encontraron en árboles de esta especie, la cual comprendía sólo el 15% de los árboles disponibles. Todo el espectro de árboles vivos y muertos fue utilizado, pero observamos una preferencia fuerte por árboles vivos con descomposición (45% de los nidos) o árboles muertos (45% de los nidos). Un análisis de agrupamiento basado en características de los árboles y las cavidades dividió la comunidad en cinco grupos, incluyendo carpinteros de tamaño grande y mediano, y un grupo formado principalmente por excavadores débiles. Un cuarto grupo incluyó al carpintero Colaptes auratus (el excavador más abundante) y a las especies de mayor tamaño que nidifican en cavidades secundarias. El último grupo incluyó a las especies más abundantes y agresivas que nidifican en cavidades secundarias. El estornino Sturnus vulgaris, la especie más agresiva que nidifica en cavidades secundarias, ocupó un nicho más estrecho (árboles menos descompuestos con entradas más pequeñas) con relación a su tamaño. Los excavadores menos competitivos y los usuarios de cavidades secundarias ocuparon nichos de nidificación más amplios en términos de la categoría de descomposición de los árboles y el tamaño de la cavidad. Construimos una red de nidos para estudiar la estructura de la comunidad, la cual mostró que la mayor parte del uso de las cavidades como recurso fluye en la comunidad a través de los árboles de P. tremuloides y las cavidades excavadas por C. auratus. Por lo tanto, P. tremuloides fue el árbol de nidificación crítico y C. auratus fue la especie de excavador clave en esta comunidad.

scholarly journals Nest site characteristics of cavity-nesting birds on a small island, in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
pp. 352-363
Author(s):  
Neil G. Pilgrim ◽  
Joanna L. Smith ◽  
Keith Moore ◽  
Anthony J. Gaston
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Haida Gwaii ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Brown Creeper

Many studies of cavity-nesting birds in North America are conducted in large continental forests and much less is known about them in island ecosystems. We describe a 29-year study of tree species, nest site characteristics, and fledge dates of cavity-nesting birds on a small island in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia (BC). Seven cavity-nesting bird species were documented on East Limestone Island and 463 nests were found in 173 different trees. Nest trees were significantly taller and had a greater diameter than a random sample of snags. Tree height did not differ among bird species but diameter at breast height was larger for trees used by Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) than for other species. Cavity-nesters selected tree decay classes 2–7 (all dead/near dead [snags]), with 85% in decay class 4 (35%) or 5 (50%), similar to the random snag sample (class 4, 32%; class 5, 42%). Cavity height ranged from 2.6 to 44.9 m and for all species, except Brown Creeper, the mean nest height was >60% of the mean tree height. Nest heights were generally greater than observed elsewhere in BC. Nest cavity orientation was random except for Red-breasted Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus ruber), for which only 13% of the cavity entrances faced southeast. Median fledging dates ranged from 7 June (Chestnut-backed Chickadee [Poecile rufescens]) to 28 June (Northern Flicker [Colaptes auratus]). Estimated median dates of clutch completion were similar for all species. Our results show that large snags provide habitat for a high diversity of cavity-nesting birds on Haida Gwaii.

Are avian ectoparasites more numerous in nest boxes with old nest material?

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 1819-1825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wallace B. Rendell ◽  
Nicolaas A. M. Verbeek
Keyword(s):  
Positive Association ◽  
Winter Survival ◽  
Tree Swallow ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Ornithonyssus Sylviarum ◽  
Nest Microclimate ◽  
One Year

Researchers may reduce the numbers of haematophagous ectoparasites in nest boxes of cavity-nesting birds by removing old nests from boxes and, as a result, eliminate an important selective pressure that could influence the results from nest-box studies of birds. We recorded the numbers of parasites in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) boxes in which we manipulated the presence, amount, and quality of old nests. Bird fleas (Ceratophyllus idius) were more numerous in boxes with old nests, and there was a positive correlation between nest volume and flea numbers. In one year, there was a positive association between fowl mite (Ornithonyssus sylviarum) numbers and nest volume; otherwise, fowl mites and blow flies (Protocalliphora sialia) were equally numerous in all nest types. We conclude that ectoparasites whose over-winter survival depends on old nests are more numerous in boxes with old nests, whereas parasites whose over-winter survival is independent of old nests infect nest sites randomly. Also, reinfection and nest microclimate likely contributed to variance in parasite numbers between nest types and years, respectively. We recommend caution when speculating about the possible effects of cleaning boxes on parasites that occur in nests because different species of parasites are not influenced similarly by old nests.

scholarly journals Nest-Site Reuse Patterns for a Cavity-Nesting Bird Community in Interior British Columbia

The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 391-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. E H. Aitken ◽  
K. L. Wiebe ◽  
K. Martin
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Species Variation ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Nest Cavity ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Managed Landscapes ◽  
Nest Site Limitation ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Most obligate cavity-nesting birds are considered to be nest-site limited, either by time or energy to excavate or to acquire suitable holes for nesting. We examined rates of nest-cavity reuse for a rich community of cavity-nesting birds in mixed forests in interior British Columbia. Using a sample of 402 cavity-reuse cases over five years, we measured cavity reuse for 20 cavity-nesting bird and mammal species (three guilds), and examined the relationship between nest-cavity reuse and features of cavities, nest trees, and forest stands. Eight percent of used cavities were destroyed between years. Reuse rates were 17% for the cavities of weak excavators such as nuthatches and chickadees, 28% for formerly active woodpecker nests, and 48% for cavities previously used by secondary cavity nesting birds, but there was considerable species variation within all guilds. Nest cavities in aspen that were deep with large entrances had the highest reuse. At the forest stand level, cavities in trees close to edges and in sites with more edge habitat had greater reuse. Reused cavities tended to be occupied in sequential years rather than being inactive for a year. With increasing amounts of managed landscapes, availability of suitable cavities for forest nesting vertebrates is decreasing. Reuse of existing cavities might help mitigate the problem of nest-site limitation.

Re-Use of Nest Sites by Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in British Columbia

2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan E. Burger ◽  
Irene A. Manley ◽  
Michael P. Silvergieter ◽  
David B. Lank ◽  
Kevin M. Jordan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Brachyramphus Marmoratus ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Marbled Murrelets

scholarly journals Conspicuous female plumage is common among open cup-nesting passerine birds

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay McEntee ◽  
Zoe Zelazny ◽  
Gordon Burleigh
Keyword(s):  
Social Selection ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
The Social ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Incubating Birds ◽  
Core Part ◽  
Nest Type

Alfred Russel Wallace hypothesized that the use of cavity or dome nests releases incubating birds from predation risk, and that this allows the evolution of conspicuous coloration in females. By this hypothesis, females that use open nests are subject to strong selection for crypsis. Here, we test the validity of Wallace’s proposed evolutionary correlation between nest type and conspicuous coloration in females across the largest avian radiation, the Passeriformes, using phylogenetic comparative methods. We also test an alternate hypothesis that cavity-nesting results in greater conspicuousness because competition for cavities is stronger than for other nest sites, and such competition can drive social selection on female plumage. By this hypothesis, dome-nesting females should generally be less conspicuous than cavity-nesting species. We found no support for Wallace’s hypothesis that concealed nests yield conspicuous plumage while open nests yield dull plumage, and some support for the social selection hypothesis in smaller-bodied, gregarious species. While our analyses do not support the core part of Wallace’s hypothesis, they corroborate his contention that evolutionary transitions in nest type are rare, indicating that nest types may influence macroevolutionary selective regimes for other traits.

scholarly journals Different bees, different needs: how nest-site requirements have shaped the decision-making processes in homeless honeybees ( Apis spp.)

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1746) ◽  
pp. 20170010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine Beekman ◽  
Benjamin P. Oldroyd
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Apis Florea ◽  
Collective Movement ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Species Specific

During reproductive swarming, a honeybee swarm needs to decide on a new nest site and then move to the chosen site collectively. Most studies of swarming and nest-site selection are based on one species, Apis mellifera . Natural colonies of A. mellifera live in tree cavities. The quality of the cavity is critical to the survival of a swarm. Other honeybee species nest in the open, and have less strict nest-site requirements, such as the open-nesting dwarf honeybee Apis florea . Apis florea builds a nest comprised of a single comb suspended from a twig. For a cavity-nesting species, there is only a limited number of potential nest sites that can be located by a swarm, because suitable sites are scarce. By contrast, for an open-nesting species, there is an abundance of equally suitable twigs. While the decision-making process of cavity-nesting bees is geared towards selecting the best site possible, open-nesting species need to coordinate collective movement towards areas with potential nest sites. Here, we argue that the nest-site selection processes of A. florea and A. mellifera have been shaped by each species' specific nest-site requirements. Both species use the same behavioural algorithm, tuned to allow each species to solve their species-specific problem. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Collective movement ecology’.

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