Nest Construction by House Wrens

McCabe, Robert A.

doi:10.2307/1365401

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The cup composition (i.e., the grass count, pennaceous feather count, and ratio of pennaceous to plumulaceous feathers) was highly repeatable for the female, but female identity did not explain variation in the rest of the nest morphology. This finding reinforces previous conclusions that the female constructs the nest cup independent of the male (McCabe 1965), but implicates other factors in the construction of the stick platform, such as physical constraints. The cup appears largely unaffected by these constraints and similarly unrelated to fitness.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Repeatability of an extended phenotype: potential causes and consequences of nest variation in the Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon aedon)

Carr,

Swanson,

Reichard

2024

Preprint

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Construction behaviour is an aspect of the extended phenotype that allows organisms to build structures that alter their environments in potentially beneficial ways. Although individuals vary in the expression of this extended phenotype (e.g., structure morphology), the repeatability of construction behaviour remains understudied, especially among free-living populations. Many oviparous taxa construct nests, making them of particular interest because variation in nest architecture may directly affect fitness. Using a free-living, cavity-nesting songbird, the northern house wren (Troglodytes aedon aedon), as our model, we estimated the contribution of the primary builder (the female) to nest variability by measuring the repeatability of nest morphology between successive clutches. We further examined whether nest morphology was related to the dimensions of the nesting cavity, breeding date, or nest success. We found the composition of the cup lining to be a highly repeatable behaviour for the nesting female, although the size and composition of the structural platform appeared more related to the dimensions of the cavity. Despite the expectation that construction effort would show a seasonal decline, similar to clutch size in this species, nest morphology remained incredibly variable throughout the breeding season and was unrelated to the survival of the offspring. Our study suggests that variation in construction behaviours is a product of multiple factors including the preferences of the builder and physical constraints. The absence of any clear links between construction behaviour and fitness indicates that nest morphology is not under strong selection. As a result, diverse female building preferences may explain the extreme among-individual variation in nest structure in this species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Although the layout and composition of the zones are standard, house wren nests are highly variable in their morphology. For example, in some nests the stick platform may be built so large that it covers the entrance hole of the box (McCabe 1965).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeatability of an extended phenotype: potential causes and consequences of nest variation in the Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon aedon)

Carr,

Swanson,

Reichard

2024

Preprint

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“…We placed each iButton so it hung freely 5 cm below the box and was covered with a section of white 10 cm diameter PVC tube containing ventilation holes to allow airflow, minimize heat accumulation, and prevent direct exposure of the iButton to solar radiation and moisture. We recorded air temperature outside of nest boxes because doing so allowed us to standardize measurements in a way that was impossible inside nest boxes on account of marked variation in the architecture of individual nests (see McCabe 1965). Our pilot data indicated that temperatures inside nest boxes were warmer than external temperatures throughout the breeding season (mean = 4.4 °C warmer, SE = 0.8; Jones, Rivers, and Betts, unpublished data), so our results provide a conservative measure of the temperatures experienced by eggs and nestlings within nest boxes.…”

Section: Experimental Design and Herbicide Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neither forest herbicides nor ambient temperature exert strong effects on reproductive output of a cavity-nesting songbird

Rivers¹,

Jones²,

Betts³

2020

ACE

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Land management may combine with air temperature to influence the persistence of animal populations, so both must be evaluated in concert to understand how populations respond to increased forest management intensity and projected climate change. We used a large-scale study that experimentally manipulated herbicide application intensity within regenerating forests to test how herbicide-mediated changes in temperature influenced three components of reproductive output in the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon): nest survival, the number of offspring produced, and nestling body condition. We found no evidence for a consistent herbicide treatment effect on any reproductive measure, although our power to detect effects was modest. Relative to unsprayed controls, nest survival was lowest in the light herbicide treatment, and this measure increased on sites that were subjected to greater herbicide application (i.e., at moderate and intensive herbicide treatments), against our predictions. We also detected no evidence of a temperature effect singly or in combination with herbicide application on wren reproductive output. Although herbicide intensity was more influential on reproductive output than was temperature, we found that neither exerted strong effects in regenerating conifer forests. Given the dearth of studies that combine evaluations of temperature and land management impacts on songbird reproductive output, we suggest researchers continue to expand our understanding of the relative influence of both drivers simultaneously to better formulate conservation strategies in light of expected changes in climate and a heightened global demand for wood products. Ni les herbicides forestiers ni la température ambiante n'ont d'effets importants sur le succès reproducteur d'un passereau cavicoleRÉSUMÉ. L'effet combiné des pratiques d'aménagement forestier et de la température de l'air pourrait influer sur la pérennité des populations animales, de sorte qu'on doit les évaluer de concert si on veut comprendre comment les populations réagissent aux pratiques forestières de plus en plus intenses et aux changements climatiques prévus. Nous avons utilisé une étude à grande échelle dans laquelle l'intensité de l'application d'herbicides dans les forêts en régénération a été manipulée afin de tester de quelle façon les changements de température induits par les herbicides influaient sur trois paramètres du succès reproducteur du Troglodyte familier (Troglodytes aedon) : la survie au nid, le nombre d'oisillons produits et la condition physique des oisillons. Nous n'avons pas constaté d'effet régulier d'un traitement aux herbicides sur les paramètres de reproduction examinés, bien que notre capacité à détecter les effets ait été modeste. Comparativement aux sites témoins sans arrosage, la survie au nid était le plus faible sous le traitement léger aux herbicides, et a augmenté aux sites sur lesquels davantage d'herbicides avaient été appliqués (c.-à-d. dans les traitements modéré et élevé aux herbicides), à l'encontre de nos attentes. D...

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“…Unpaired males sing at high rates from perches around 25 m high, whereas paired males sing at lower heights and near their nests (Johnson and Kermott, 1991). In terms of nest construction, males build nest platforms, whereas females build nest cups and add lining (McCabe, 1965). Thus, we noted when cups began forming or were being lined, in addition to direct observations of females building to determine if and when males had paired.…”

Section: Study Species and Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

When to change your tune? Unpaired and paired male house wrens respond differently to anthropogenic noise

Grabarczyk¹,

Pipkin²,

Vonhof³

et al. 2018

JEA

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In response to anthropogenic noise, many bird species adjust their song frequency, presumably to optimize song transmission and overcome noise masking. But the costs of song adjustments may outweigh the benefits during different stages of breeding, depending on the locations of potential receivers. Selection might favor unpaired males to alter their songs because they sing to attract females that may be widely dispersed, whereas paired males might not if mates and neighbors are primary receivers of their song. We hypothesized male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) respond differently to noise depending on their pairing status. To test our hypothesis we synthesized pink noise, which mimics anthropogenic noise, and played it at three intensities in territories of paired and unpaired focal males. We recorded their songs and analyzed whether song structure varied with pairing status and noise treatment. To validate our study design, we tested whether noise playback affected measurement of spectral song traits and changed noise levels within territories of focal males. Consistent with our predictions, unpaired males sang differently than paired males, giving longer songs at higher rates. Contrary to predictions, paired males changed their songs by increasing peak frequency during high intensity noise playback, whereas unpaired males did not. If adjusting song frequency in noise is beneficial for long-distance communication we would have expected unpaired males to change their songs in response to noise. By adjusting song frequency, paired males reduce masking and produce a song that is easier to hear. However, if females prefer low frequency song, then unpaired males may be constrained by female preference. Alternatively, if noise adjustments are learned and vary with experience or quality, unpaired males in our study population may be younger, less experienced, or lower quality males.

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Nest Construction by House Wrens

Cited by 18 publications

References 3 publications

Repeatability of an extended phenotype: potential causes and consequences of nest variation in the Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon aedon)

Repeatability of an extended phenotype: potential causes and consequences of nest variation in the Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon aedon)

Neither forest herbicides nor ambient temperature exert strong effects on reproductive output of a cavity-nesting songbird

When to change your tune? Unpaired and paired male house wrens respond differently to anthropogenic noise

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