Are nest boxes a viable alternative source of cavities for hollow-dependent animals? Long-term monitoring of nest box occupancy, pest use and attrition

Lindenmayer, David B.; Welsh, A. H.; Donnelly, Christine; Crane, Mason; Michael, Damian; MacGregor, Chris; McBurney, Lachlan; Montague‐Drake, Rebecca; Gibbons, Philip

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2008.09.026

Cited by 111 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Nest boxes are widely used to enhance populations of cavity-nesting species including waterfowl (Savard 1988, Newton 1994, Pöysä and Pöysä 2002, Savard and Robert 2007, passerines (Nilsson 2008), sea birds (Bolton et al 2004), and marsupials (Lindenmayer et al 2009). The effectiveness of nest boxes is determined by a variety of factors including design (García-Navas et al 2008), adjacency to key resources (Aitken and Martin 2004), predation (Brightsmith 2005), nest defense behavior (Rosvall 2008), reproductive output of targeted species (Mátics et al 2008), and the extent that territoriality limits density (Duckworth 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest Boxes Facilitate Local-Scale Conservation of Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) in Alberta, Canada

Corrigan¹,

Scrimgeour²,

Paszkowski³

2011

ACE

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We tested the general predictions of increased use of nest boxes and positive trends in local populations of Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) following the large-scale provision of nest boxes in a study area of central Alberta over a 16-year period. Nest boxes were rapidly occupied, primarily by Common Goldeneye and Bufflehead, but also by European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). After 5 years of deployment, occupancy of large boxes by Common Goldeneye was 82% to 90% and occupancy of small boxes by Bufflehead was 37% to 58%. Based on a single-stage cluster design, experimental closure of nest boxes resulted in significant reductions in numbers of broods and brood sizes produced by Common Goldeneye and Bufflehead. Occurrence and densities of Common Goldeneye and Bufflehead increased significantly across years following nest box deployment at the local scale, but not at the larger regional scale. Provision of nest boxes may represent a viable strategy for increasing breeding populations of these two waterfowl species on landscapes where large trees and natural cavities are uncommon but wetland density is high

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest Boxes Facilitate Local-Scale Conservation of Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) in Alberta, Canada

Corrigan¹,

Scrimgeour²,

Paszkowski³

2011

ACE

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“…Supplementing secondary and logged forest sites with nest boxes might help make these forests more suitable for some threatened cavity-using species. But nest boxes can be costly to maintain [71,76], are not always effective conservation tools [77], and early occupancy can be followed by attrition that diminishes any long-term benefits [71]. Additional experimentation and monitoring of nest boxes are recommended.…”

Section: Implications For Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree Cavity-Using Wildlife and the Potential of Artificial Nest Boxes for Wildlife Management in New Guinea

Warakai¹,

Okena²,

Igag³

et al. 2013

Tropical Conservation Science

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Little is known of the frequency of use and reliance upon tree cavities by wildlife, nor the natural availability of cavities in New Guinea forests. We surveyed the literature for records of cavity use by birds and mammals in New Guinea. We examined every standing tree on one hectare of primary forest and one hectare of secondary forest for cavities, then carefully assessed every tree for cavities after they were felled. We put up 190 artificial nest boxes of five designs in three sites and monitored occupancy. At least 50 species (23.6%) of New Guinea terrestrial mammals and 118 species (17.7%) of non-marine or aquatic bird species are recorded in the literature as using tree cavities. Ground observation identified 36 suspected cavities in a hectare of lowland primary forest and 10 in nearby secondary forest. Upon inspection of all trees after felling, these figures changed to 26 and 0 respectively. Ground censuses are not accurate. Cavities were more commonly found in large trees. In less than a year, nest box occupancy reached exceeded 33%, with Phalanger spp. and Sugar gliders, Petaurus breviceps, being most common. Some bird use was detected by the presence of feathers; snakes and geckos were also found in boxes. Occupancy increased with time and would probably be higher after a second year. The larger boxes had greater occupancy, as did boxes placed higher in the trees. Bees occupied and probably excluded other users from 10% of boxes. As Papuan forests are disturbed by logging, hunting practices and gardening, conservationists might need to manage practices to ensure cavity availability. Artificial nest boxes might have utility for wildlife conservation and research.

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“…Silvicultural methods such as shelterwood cutting or clear cutting may benefit wildlife species (e.g., yellow-pine chipmunk (Neotamias amoenus)), by releasing understory vegetation and favoring regeneration of early successional species (Herbers and Klenner, 2007). However, for tree squirrels such as northern flying (Glaucomys sabrinus Shaw), red (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben), and gray (Sciurus carolinensis) squirrels, trees support their dreys (Trudeau et al, 2011) and are required for nesting cavities (Fokidis and Risch, 2005;Merrick et al, 2007;Lindenmayer et al, 2009). In scenarios where clearcutting has occurred, or there is a reduction in preferred nesting trees, tree squirrels and cavitydependent birds have declined in abundance (McComb and *Address correspondence to this author at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburg, New York, USA; Noble, 1981;Taulman et al, 1998;Ramos-Lara and Cervantes, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Habitat management has often been employed to enhance thinned forests by adding nest boxes to accommodate displaced species. Lindenmayer et al (2009) reported a significant increase in the abundance of cavitydependent species (e.g., bird and squirrel species) by installing nest boxes in previously logged forests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further research is needed to help determine the influence of predation. Because predation is one of the main threats that animals face during their daily routines, and nest boxes have been found to both reduce predation (Ramos-Lara and Cervantes, 2007;Lindenmayer et al, 2009) or minimally affect predation risk (Brady et al, 2000;Merrick et al, 2007;Trudeau et al, 2011), it would be useful to undertake more research on this subject. The more permanent nature of nest boxes, relative to dreys, may place their occupants at a greater risk of predation from mammalian predators (Shuttleworth, 1999) because predators target predictable sources of prey.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Survey of the Patterns of Nest Box Use Among Squirrels (Sciuridae) in Managed Forest Stands in Clinton County, New York

Sotola¹,

Garneau

2014

TOECOLJ

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Artificial habitat enhancements are important forest structural components that can increase the survival of squirrels (Sciuridae) and thus warrant study. Investigations of squirrel nest box usage can provide useful demographic and community information such as occupancy rates, litter size, habitat preference, species richness and abundance estimates. This artificial nest box study investigated the nesting patterns of squirrels from late winter through early fall 2011 in managed forest stands in Clinton County, New York. Squirrels are sensitive to forest disturbance, hence we compared sites of varying silvicultural activity (e.g., managed for production of timber or maple syrup versus an undisturbed reference stand). A total of 48 nest boxes were constructed and monitored across three separate sites (e.g., reference, logged, and sugaring). Prior research suggested that occupancy may be a function of nest box height (~3.5m and ~5m) and site-specific tree cavity/snags/drey abundance, thus height preference and alternative nesting options were monitored in the survey and analyzed to report detection probability and occupancy estimates in Program Presence. Visual confirmation of northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus Shaw) was made in 81%, 44%, and 13% of the nest boxes in the reference, logged, and sugar site, respectively. Approximately 79% of the nest boxes showed evidence of wildlife visitation (e.g., scat, crushed seeds, or nesting material). Additionally, 87% of the high boxes (5m) versus 71% of the low boxes (3.5m) were utilized, and 17% of all occupancies contained multiple individuals. This survey provides additional multi-season occupancy data for an elusive mammal species under managed habitat regimes. We recommend that management plans include a wildlife habitat component that maintains snag trees and live cavity-trees in forest stands. When appropriate, stand management plans could also include installing habitat enhancement structures such as artificial nest boxes for squirrels.

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Are nest boxes a viable alternative source of cavities for hollow-dependent animals? Long-term monitoring of nest box occupancy, pest use and attrition

Cited by 111 publications

References 28 publications

Nest Boxes Facilitate Local-Scale Conservation of Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) in Alberta, Canada

Nest Boxes Facilitate Local-Scale Conservation of Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) in Alberta, Canada

Tree Cavity-Using Wildlife and the Potential of Artificial Nest Boxes for Wildlife Management in New Guinea

Survey of the Patterns of Nest Box Use Among Squirrels (Sciuridae) in Managed Forest Stands in Clinton County, New York

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