Effects on rural House Sparrow and Tree Sparrow populations by experimental nest-site addition

Post, Maria von; Smith, Henrik G.

doi:10.1007/s10336-014-1117-x

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Its effectiveness, pros, and cons are currently under debate (Goldingay et al ; Le Roux et al ; Lindenmayer et al , ; Goldingay ; Rueegger ) but some of their effects are admittedly poorly known, e.g. wildlife responses at local and landscape scales (Von Post & Smith ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The local responses of cavity‐nesting fauna to nest box addition are not well‐known (Beyer & Goldingay ; Goldingay & Stevens ). To date, only limited research has tested empirically how habitat supplementation efforts affect wildlife responses at the local and landscape scales (but see Von Post & Smith ; Lindenmayer et al ). A preference for artificial nest‐sites over natural ones has been reported (Newton ; Llambías & Fernández ; Rodríguez et al ; Singh et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Natural cavity restoration as an alternative to nest box supplementation

Valera

Václav

Calero-Torralbo

et al. 2018

Restoration Ecology

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Nest box supplementation is widely used to increase nest‐site availability for cavity nesting animals but the analysis of its effects on individuals breeding in natural cavities is often neglected. This study offers a novel restoration technique to revert abandonment of natural breeding sites by a secondary cavity avian bird, the European roller (Coracias garrulus), and other ecologically similar species. We found that, after a program of nest box supplementation with ensuing monitoring, rollers gradually abandon nesting in natural and seminatural cavities in favor of nest boxes because the latter are of higher quality. We examine whether reducing the entrance size of natural and seminatural cavities improves their suitability for rollers. A 6‐year program reduced the diameter of the entrance of sandstone cavities and cavities in bridges. This led to a high occupancy (59%) of manipulated nest‐sites. Manipulated sites were most frequently occupied by rollers and little owls (Athene noctua) (31 and 18% of sites, respectively). Manipulation did not affect clutch size or fledgling success. We suggest that nest‐site diversity and nesting in natural cavities should be preserved to reduce nest box dependence. Our study illustrates the value of nest boxes when used alongside restoration of natural breeding sites and provides insights for the management of natural cavities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural cavity restoration as an alternative to nest box supplementation

Valera

Václav

Calero-Torralbo

et al. 2018

Restoration Ecology

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“…To date, only limited research has been undertaken to empirically test how habitat supplementation efforts affect wildlife responses at local and landscape scales (Von Post & Smith ). In our study, we found a significant increase in the number of individuals and species of hollow‐nesting birds that visited large trees after the addition of nest boxes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…land managers and urban developers) could preferentially add nest boxes to scattered trees located in disturbed landscapes where natural hollow availability is likely to be most reduced due to human activities, such as paddock and urban tree clearance (Gibbons et al ; Le Roux et al ). Attracting hollow‐nesting birds to trees in human‐modified landscapes could potentially facilitate other behavioral responses such as increased hollow occupancy, breeding, and dispersal (Manning et al ; Berthier et al ; Von Post & Smith ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enriching small trees with artificial nest boxes cannot mimic the value of large trees for hollow‐nesting birds

Roux

Ikin

Lindenmayer

et al. 2015

Restoration Ecology

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Large trees support unique habitat structures (e.g. hollows) that form over centuries and cannot be provided by small trees. Large trees are also declining in human-modified landscapes worldwide. One restoration strategy gaining popularity involves adding nest boxes to smaller trees to replicate natural hollows. However, limited empirical research has tested how hollow-nesting fauna responds to the presence of nest boxes. We asked: can the addition of nest boxes increase tree visitation by hollow-nesting birds? We conducted a before-after control-impact (BACI) experiment using 144 nest boxes and 96 sample trees comprised of three sizes (small [20-50 cm dbh], medium [51-80 cm], and large [>80 cm]) and located in four landscape contexts (reserves, pasture, urban parklands, and urban built-up areas). We recorded a significant increase in hollow-nesting bird abundance and richness at large trees after nest box additions. However, the same response was not observed at medium, small, or control trees. We also recorded nonsignificant increases in hollow-nesting bird abundance and richness at trees in modified landscapes after nest box additions compared to trees in reserves and control trees. Our results suggest that adding nest boxes to smaller-sized trees may not attract hollow-nesting birds. Therefore, nest box management strategies may require re-evaluation as it is often assumed that hollow supplementation will attract hollow-using fauna and sufficiently ameliorate the loss of large, hollow-bearing trees. We advocate that large tree retention remains crucial and should be prioritized. Large trees could be effective target structures for habitat restoration, especially in modified landscapes.

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“…One distinctive feature of old villages is the multitude of structures that provide nesting sites such as old tiled rooves, chimneys and beams, for many cavity‐nesting farmland bird species (e.g. house sparrow Passer domesticus , house martin Delichon urbicum , white wagtail Motacilla alba ; Von Post & Smith, ). Notably, the populations of most species that breed in/on buildings (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduced biodiversity in modernized villages: A conflict between sustainable development goals

Rosin

Hiron

Żmihorski

et al. 2020

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Despite large conservation efforts to halt the loss of farmland biodiversity in Europe, negative population trends are still observed, especially for common species. Old villages and human settlements are biodiversity hotspots and important breeding habitats for farmland birds, but recent requirements for energy saving measures and improved living comfort have changed their architecture and habitats. Consequently, modernization of villages may negatively affect bird diversity due to the loss of nesting and foraging sites. We investigated how the abundance and diversity of birds breeding in 104 Polish villages varied in relation to the degree of modernization as estimated by the proportion of new and renovated homesteads. Abundance of building‐nesting species, but not tree‐nesting species, declined by 50% across a gradient of old to highly modernized villages. The contribution of new versus renovated houses to the observed decline was similar. Synthesis and applications. Rural modernization may have a dramatic effect on abundance of birds nesting on buildings, thus may be an important and overlooked contributor to farmland bird population declines in Europe. Villages and rural properties fall outside of current conservation policy as they are neither protected areas nor agricultural lands (where agri‐environmental schemes can be applied). The observed conflict between sustainability goals such as increased building energy efficiency and biodiversity conservation suggests that sustainable rural development should better link modernization with conservation measures, for example, by constructing nesting sites when renovating and building new houses. The challenge is to design modern buildings that are both energy‐efficient and biodiversity‐friendly to generally improve quality of life for rural communities and to halt or reduce farmland bird declines in rural landscapes. Designers and architects can find inspiration from traditional architecture and add a variety of nest‐box types.

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Effects on rural House Sparrow and Tree Sparrow populations by experimental nest-site addition

Cited by 15 publications

References 22 publications

Natural cavity restoration as an alternative to nest box supplementation

Natural cavity restoration as an alternative to nest box supplementation

Enriching small trees with artificial nest boxes cannot mimic the value of large trees for hollow‐nesting birds

Reduced biodiversity in modernized villages: A conflict between sustainable development goals

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