Brood defense and age of young: a test of the vulnerability hypothesis

Onnebrink, Holger; Curio, Eberhard

doi:10.1007/bf00164296

Cited by 51 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…Maxson & Oring (1978) reported similar findings, as mice took eggs only from unattended nests of Spotted Sandpipers (Actitis macularia) and the birds were able to repel attacking mice when brooding. However, in terms of nest defence, I cannot rule out an effect of nesting stage and season on risk-taking of the adults (Onnebrink & Curio 1991, Bures & Pavel 1997, Ghalambor & Martin 2000. Predation rates are high in Blackcaps and the strategies to avoid losses obviously do not lead to breeding success as found in other Sylvia warblers (Bairlein et al 1980).…”

Section: Behaviour Of Parent Birdsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Video monitoring of shrub-nests reveals nest predators

Schaefer

2004

Bird Study

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Section: Behaviour Of Parent Birdsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Video monitoring of shrub-nests reveals nest predators

Schaefer

2004

Bird Study

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“…We predict that nests located in higher cavities will have higher daily survival rates (Li and Martin 1991) and, because bluebirds can be aggressive toward potential nest predators (guinan et al 2008;JMK, unpubl. data), we predict that daily survival rates will increase as the young approach fledging, according to the offspring-value hypothesis (Onnebrink andCurio 1991, Tryjanowski andgolawski 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest Survival of Western Bluebirds Using Tree Cavities in Managed Ponderosa Pine Forests of Central Washington

Kozma¹,

Kroll²

2010

Condor

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Resumen. Examinamos la asociación entre factores espaciales y temporales con la supervivencia de nidos de individuos de Sialia mexicana que anidan en cavidades de pino ponderosa (Pinus ponderosa) en bosques que se encuentran a lo largo de la ladera este de las montañas Cascade en Washington. Todas las áreas de estudio fueron manejadas para la producción de madera a través de cosechas programadas o por cortes de aprovechamiento después de incendios. Los individuos de S. mexicana tuvieron una puesta promedio de 5.3 ± 0.1 (EE) huevos (n = 131) y los nidos exitosos produjeron en promedio 4.5 ± 0.2 volantones (n = 85). Utilizando una aproximación de selección de modelos, encontramos que la supervivencia de los nidos estuvo en función del tamaño de la puesta y del tratamiento, y que hubo un efecto cuadrático de la edad del nido. Las tasas de supervivencia diaria de los nidos disminuyeron después del inicio de la incubación, luego aumentaron durante el periodo de pichones y fueron mayores para nidos con puestas de más de 5 huevos y en parches de bosque que fueron quemados y reaprovechados. La supervivencia a lo largo de todo el periodo para las puestas (n = 131 nidos) con ≤4, 5 y ≥6 huevos fue de 0.39 (95% IC: 0.11, 0.65), 0.61 (95% IC: 0.34, 0.80) y 0.71 (95% IC: 0.46, 0.85), respectivamente. Las variables de vegetación asociadas a los sitios de anidación no afectaron significativamente la supervivencia de los nidos. La depredación dio cuenta de la mayoría de los fracasos de nidos (34% de los nidos). Sugerimos que la defensa parental puede estar dando cuenta del efecto cuadrático de la edad del nido, ya que los padres defienden el nido más agresivamente a medida que se acerca el momento en que los polluelos abandonarán el nido. Además, que los individuos con puestas mayores son de mayor edad y con más experiencia, lo que resulta en una supervivencia de nidos mayor.Abstract. We examined the association of temporal and spatial factors with nest survival of Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) nesting in tree cavities in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests along the east slope of the Cascade Mountains, Washington. All study areas were managed for timber production through planned harvests or postfire salvage logging. Bluebirds laid a mean clutch of 5.3 ± 0.1 (SE) eggs (n = 131), and successful nests fledged an average of 4.5 ± 0.2 young (n = 85). Using a model-selection framework, we found that nest survival was a function of clutch size and treatment and that there was a quadratic effect of nest age. Daily survival rates decreased after the onset of incubation, then increased through the nestling period, and were higher for clutches with ≥5 eggs and in stands that were burned and salvaged. Survivorship over the entire period for clutches (n = 131 nests) with ≤4, 5, and ≥6 eggs was 0.39 (95% CI: 0.11, 0.65), 0.61 (95% CI: 0.34, 0.80), and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.85), respectively. Vegetation variables associated with nest sites did not significantly affect nest survival. Predation accounted for the most nest failures (3...

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“…Given the acoustical characteristics of Type I alarm calls (highly repetitive calls at high frequencies; Fasanella and Fernández 2009;Fernández et al, unpublished data) and behavior displays during calling, Type I calls might be functioning rather as mobbing calls. Therefore, alarm calling could function as a defense mechanism against predators, and the increase in parental calling with nestling age could be due to a higher brood value (Curio 1987; Montgomerie and Weatherhead 1988;Redondo and Carranza 1989;Onnebrink and Curio 1991) or to a higher vulnerability at this stage (Weatherhead 1979;Andersson et al 1980;Burger et al 1989). Therefore, Southern House Wren nestlings might be parasitizing parental calls as a cue to assess the presence of a risk.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Reduction of nestlings’ vocalizations in response to parental alarm calls in the Southern House Wren, Troglodytes musculus

Serra

Fernández

2010

J Ornithol

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Breeding birds often give alarm calls when a predator is near the nest. These calls have been proposed to serve as distraction displays for the predator, alerts for a mate conveying information about the presence of a threat, or a warning for nestlings about a potential risk. These functions, however, may not be mutually exclusive. In our study, we assessed if alarm calls uttered by breeding Southern House Wrens, Troglodytes musculus, are made to warn nestlings about risk. If so, we expected that nestlings would reduce overall activity in the nest and that the parents' call rate would be related to the detectability of the young (e.g., vocalizations). We experimentally elicited parents' alarm calls and compared nestling behavior before and after giving that stimulus. We found that Southern House Wren nestlings reduced their time spent vocalizing and remained inactive for longer when their parents called. Therefore, nestlings reduced their detectability by decreasing their activity inside the nest when their parents produced alarm calls. On the other hand, parental calling rates were not related to the nestling activity registered in any experimental stage. Therefore, we failed to find reliable results supporting the hypothesis that parent calling is uttered to silence nestlings. These results appear to indicate that alarm calling by breeding birds might fulfill other functions besides alerting nestlings. Future studies of this species are necessary to understand if parents are warning nestlings about a threat when they emit alarm calls.Zusammenfassung Brütende Vögel geben häufig Warnrufe ab, wenn sich in der Nähe des Nestes ein Räuber befindet. Es wird angenommen, dass diese Rufe zur Ablenkung für den Räuber, zur Warnung des Brutpartners oder als Warnung der Nestlinge vor einer Gefahrenquelle dienen. Diese Funktionen schließen sich dabei nicht unbedingt gegenseitig aus. In dieser Studie untersuchten wir, ob Warnrufe brütender Südlicher Hauszaunkönige für deren Nestlinge bestimmt waren. In diesem Fall erwarteten wir, dass Nestlinge ihre Aktivität im Nest verringern und dass die Frequenz der elterlichen Warnrufe mit der Erkennbarkeit der Jungen (z. B. durch Lautäußerungen) korreliert. Wir lösten experimentell Warnrufe der Elternvögel aus und verglichen das Verhalten der Nestlinge vor und nach dem Stimulus. Es zeigte sich, dass die Südlichen Zaunkönignestlinge weniger häufig Lautäußer-ungen von sich gaben und längere Zeit inaktiv waren, wenn die Eltern riefen. Dadurch verringerten die Nestlinge ihre Entdeckungswahrscheinlichkeit im Falle einer Gefahr. Andererseits war die Frequenz der Warnrufe nicht mit der Aktivität der Nestlinge verbunden. Die Ergebnisse unterstützen also nicht eindeutig die Hypothese, dass Eltern rufen, um ihre Jungen zum Schweigen zu bringen. Möglicherweise dienen Warnrufe von Brutvögeln anderen Funktionen außer der Alarmierung von Jungvögeln. Um festzustellen, ob Warnrufe der Eltern die Jungen vor Gefahr warnen sollen, wären weiterführende Studien notwendig.

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Brood defense and age of young: a test of the vulnerability hypothesis

Cited by 51 publications

References 33 publications

Video monitoring of shrub-nests reveals nest predators

Video monitoring of shrub-nests reveals nest predators

Nest Survival of Western Bluebirds Using Tree Cavities in Managed Ponderosa Pine Forests of Central Washington

Reduction of nestlings’ vocalizations in response to parental alarm calls in the Southern House Wren, Troglodytes musculus

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