Factors Affecting Growth of Tengmalm’s Owl (Aegolius funereus) Nestlings: Prey Abundance, Sex and Hatching Order

Zárybnická, Markéta; Riegert, Jan; Lucie, Brejšková; Šindelář, Jiří; Kouba, Marek; Hanel, Jan; Popelková, Alena; Menclová, Petra; Tomášek, Václav Jan; Šťastný, Karel

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138177

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 47 publications

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“…Growth performance with high asymptote and low growth rate or vice versa has been previously described in species with highly asynchronous hatching. In these nests, advantaged nestlings can take longer to reach a higher asymptotic growth, while disadvantaged nestlings need to grow faster at the cost of final size or mass (e.g., Zárybnická et al ., 2015). Even though our results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size (n = 18), these could indicate that in advantageous growth environments (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Common cuckoo female host selection is not determined by host quality but can affect cuckoo nestling growth when parasitising Common redstarts

Abaurrea,

Moreras,

Tolvanen

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) females lay their eggs in the nests of other avian hosts, relying on parental care provided by parasitised hosts. Therefore, it would benefit cuckoo females to target high-quality individual hosts, able to provide optimal parental care. Attempts at testing cuckoo female host selection have so far shown mixed results. However, this might be because studies have rarely considered the host nests that are available in space and time during each cuckoo egg-laying event, as well as the implications of host choice on the cuckoo nestling growth. Here we combined long-term monitoring data with an experiment to test whether cuckoo females parasitising Common redstarts (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) target individual hosts to optimise their nestlings' growth. Making use of data collected between 2013 and 2022 from 350+ nest boxes in Oulu (Finland), we first explored whether there is a range of available host nests for the cuckoo female to choose from. Second, we tested if hosts are targeted according to individual quality (using clutch size as a proxy). And third, we investigated the outcomes of cuckoo female host-selection on nestling growth (mass, tarsus length, and wing length) between 2014 and 2019. We conducted a cross-fostering experiment where we either left cuckoo eggs to hatch and be raised in the nest their mother originally chose for them or moved cuckoo eggs to non-parasitised nests. Additionally, we conducted an exploratory analysis to test the quality of the parents caring for the cross-fostered cuckoo nestlings. After accounting for how many host nests were available to the cuckoo female to choose from, we found that nests with bigger clutches were not more likely to be parasitised, and cross-fostering did not affect mass and tarsus length growth. However, both in the wing length growth and in our exploratory analysis of host parental care on cuckoo nestling growth we found that cuckoo nestlings that grew in the nest selected by their mothers, reached higher asymptotic growth at a slower rate. This suggests that while cuckoos may not choose redstart hosts based on their individual quality when parasitising common redstarts, cuckoo female host selection might improve cuckoo nestling growth and thus, have an adaptive significance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Common cuckoo female host selection is not determined by host quality but can affect cuckoo nestling growth when parasitising Common redstarts

Abaurrea,

Moreras,

Tolvanen

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Seasonal habitat‐dependent change in nest box occupation by Tengmalm's owl associated with a corresponding change in nest predation

2016

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We investigated the nest‐site settlement of the forest‐dwelling Tengmalm's owl (Aegolius funereus) in the temperate zone of Central Europe (Czech Republic) over a 14‐year period. We analysed the effect of changes in nest‐site suitability (expressed as the proportion of deciduous forest) within the immediate surroundings of the nest boxes (a buffer radius of 25 m) in relation to nest box occupancy, the mean standardized laying date (further the laying date), occurrence of nest predation, and breeding density. In line with the predictions of the site dependence model, we found a positive relationship between the laying date and the proportion of deciduous trees in the nest box surrounding. Further, we found the interactive effect of the laying date and the proportion of deciduous forest surrounding a nest box on the occurrence of breeding attempts predated by pine martens. A higher proportion of deciduous forest was found in the surroundings of predated than non‐predated breeding attempts, and a steeper positive relationship between the laying date and the proportion of deciduous forest was found in the surroundings of non‐predated than predated breeding attempts. The change in the owls’ habitat utilization can be explained by the process of tree leafing which makes the deciduous forest a less suitable habitat with high risk of nest predation before tree foliage and a more suitable habitat with low risk of nest predation after tree foliage. We conclude that our results are in agreement with the site dependence model, and that the degree of foliage of deciduous forest in the nest surrounding of Tengmalm's owl is a key factor determining site suitability due to predation risk from pine martens in Central Europe.

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Low food abundance prior to breeding results in female-biased sex allocation in Tengmalm’s Owl (Aegolius funerus)

et al. 2019

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Factors Affecting Growth of Tengmalm’s Owl (Aegolius funereus) Nestlings: Prey Abundance, Sex and Hatching Order

Cited by 7 publications

References 47 publications

Common cuckoo female host selection is not determined by host quality but can affect cuckoo nestling growth when parasitising Common redstarts

Common cuckoo female host selection is not determined by host quality but can affect cuckoo nestling growth when parasitising Common redstarts

Seasonal habitat‐dependent change in nest box occupation by Tengmalm's owl associated with a corresponding change in nest predation

Low food abundance prior to breeding results in female-biased sex allocation in Tengmalm’s Owl (Aegolius funerus)

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