A case report of an Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) attacking an incubating adult and depredating the eggs of the Japanese tit (Parus minor)

Abstract

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Three cases of collared owlet depredation on the green‐backed tit within nest boxes

“…In our study, we used artificial nest boxes with a 5.0‐cm entrance hole made it possible for the collared owlet to predate on adult brooding green‐backed tit and its nestlings (the first case). The entrance hole size that we used in our study is consistent with the research on the Japanese tit ( P. minor ) (Yin et al., 2023 ). Similarly, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB, https://www.rspb.org.uk ), the hole diameter of the nest box for the Great tit ( P. major ) should be 2.8 and 2.5 cm for the coal tit ( Periparus ater ), marsh tit ( Poecile palustris ), and blue tit ( Cyanistes caeruleus ).…”

“…In our study, we used artificial nest boxes with a 5.0-cm entrance hole made it possible for the collared owlet to predate on adult brooding green-backed tit and its nestlings (the first case). The entrance hole size that we used in our study is consistent with the research on the Japanese tit (P. minor) (Yin et al, 2023). Similarly, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB, https:// www.…”

“…The red squirrel, the common chipmunk, and the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) were all identified as nest predators of cavity-nesting passerines in Zuojia Nature Reserve of northeast China (Shen et al, 2023;Yu et al, 2020). However, within the same nature reserve, Yin et al (2023) found one Eurasian jay attacking an adult incubating Japanese tit. Hence, larger mammals, chipmunks, sparrowhawks, jays, and snakes have been found common predators of cavitynesting birds in high-latitude regions ranging from England to North America, Canada, North China, and Japan.…”

“…Video cameras are widely used to monitor the behavior of breeding birds and sometimes to record their predation. For instance, it was reported based on video evidence that a single Eurasian jay ( Garrulus glandarius ) attacked a female Japanese tit ( Parus minor ) who was incubating nine eggs at a nest box because a woodpecker had significantly widened the entrance (Yin et al., 2023 ). In another case, the video recording showed the process of multiple host individuals of the Oriental reed warbler ( Acrocephalus orientalis ) mobbing and attacking a female common cuckoo ( Cuculus canorus ) in the field (Zhao et al., 2022 ).…”

“…However, within the same nature reserve, Yin et al. ( 2023 ) found one Eurasian jay attacking an adult incubating Japanese tit. Hence, larger mammals, chipmunks, sparrowhawks, jays, and snakes have been found common predators of cavity‐nesting birds in high‐latitude regions ranging from England to North America, Canada, North China, and Japan.…”