Nestbox orientation: a species-specific influence on occupation and breeding success in woodland passerines

Goodenough, Anne E.; Maitland, David P.; Hart, Adam G.; Elliot, Simon L.

doi:10.1080/00063650809461526

Cited by 23 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…More specifically, birds are able to influence nest microclimates by preferentially occupying nestboxes in relation to the orientation of their entrance hole which influences the exposure to cold winds (e.g., Ardia et al, 2006) and their construction material because woodcrete nestboxes are about 1.5 • C higher on average than wooden nestboxes (e.g., García-Navas et al, 2008). Studies show that whilst great tits avoided nestboxes orientated toward south-southwest, there was no such relationship in blue tits, although the orientation of nestboxes did not influence reproductive success in either species (Goodenough et al, 2008). Meanwhile, both blue tits and great tits preferentially occupied woodcrete nestboxes rather than wooden nestboxes, although the breeding success again did not vary between nestbox types (Browne, 2006).…”

Section: Environmental Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 98%

Causes and Consequences of Intraspecific Variation in Nesting Behaviors: Insights from Blue Tits and Great Tits

Mainwaring

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Nest building is an important and yet under-studied stage of the reproductive cycle in many taxa, including birds, and whilst we have a decent understanding of interspecific variation in avian nesting behaviors, our understanding of intraspecific variation in nesting behaviors is much less developed. This is largely because an insufficient number of studies have been performed on any one species to draw robust conclusions. Fortunately, though, the amount of research on the nesting behaviors of nestbox-breeding blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tits (Parus major) has increased dramatically in recent years and their nesting behaviors are now sufficiently well-studied to offer useful insights into intraspecific variation in avian nesting behaviors. Studies show that individuals of both species select nest sites based on the presence and/or absence of conspecifics and heterospecifics and whilst neighbors were assumed to adversely affect focal individuals by competing for resources, they are now considered beneficial as they provide information about habitat quality and contribute to anti-predator defenses. Nest-building females accurately gauge local weather conditions and respond to predictable variation in environmental conditions by building nests with variable amounts of cup lining material to create suitable nest microclimates for nestlings. Meanwhile, both species vary the amount of aromatic plant materials in their nests in relation to the abundance of nest-dwelling parasites and pathogens and as aromatic plant materials also play a role in sexual selection then nest materials can have multiple functions. The height of nests is negatively correlated with the local risk of predation but whilst predator avoidance favors lower nests, sexual selection favors taller nests. In fact, higher quality females build taller nests that contain more green plant material which in turn influences the amount of care provided by males. This suggests there is considerable intraspecific variation in nesting behaviors in blue and great tits, and in birds generally, and highlights that birds are adept at adaptively varying their nesting behaviors in response to multiple factors. There is, however, a paucity of evidence directly linking such variation in nest building behaviors to reproductive success or fitness more broadly and so further studies could usefully examine such links because trade-offs between competing selection pressures may constrain adaptive nesting behaviors.

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Section: Environmental Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 98%

Causes and Consequences of Intraspecific Variation in Nesting Behaviors: Insights from Blue Tits and Great Tits

Mainwaring

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…; Burgess ), while others involving >200 boxes have been monitored for 15–30 years in Canada, England, Sweden and France (Robertson & Rendell ; Goodenough et al . ; Corrigan et al . ; Hipkiss et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outcomes of decades long installation of nest boxes for arboreal mammals in southern Australia

Goldingay¹,

Thomas²,

Shanty³

2018

Eco Management Restoration

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Summary Nest boxes are commonly installed to support hollow‐using species where the abundance of hollow‐bearing trees is deficient. Recent studies have provided equivocal evidence about the effectiveness of nest box projects and have highlighted significant management costs associated with some projects. We document the functionality of 303 nest boxes installed across five different community‐led projects in southern Australia for periods of 10–25 years. As expected, we found that nest boxes lost functionality over time. However, 60% remained functional to support the Brush‐tailed Phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa) and the Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) after almost 20 years. Years installed, method of nest box attachment and tree species influenced whether boxes remained functional. Nest box construction material changed over time so could not be assessed specifically. When inspected in a single year, the Brush‐tailed Phascogale occupied 9% of functional boxes and another 48% contained their nests. The Sugar Glider occupied 15% of functional boxes and another 22% contained their nests. These values suggest the nest box installations were highly effective for these species, although more detailed study is needed to understand what contribution these installations have made to support the local populations. Maintenance of most nest boxes occurred twice a year in the first five years after installation, but many received no maintenance for periods of three years, and some 10–15 years, before our census. Our findings suggest that infrequent maintenance by community groups can sustain nest box projects over periods of several decades. Research into employing nest boxes as a management tool in Australia is still in its infancy. Further studies are needed to resolve factors that limit their effectiveness.

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“…To optimise conservation activity, several factors of nest-box design and their placement should be taken into consideration, as they may have various effects on breeding parameters (Korpimäki 1985, Lowther 2012, Lambrechts et al 2012, MØller et al 2014. For example, several bird species show clear preference for a certain orientation of the holes of nest-boxes (Goodenough 2008, Navara et al 2011, Rodriugez et al 2011. The various components of habitats, such as vegetation structure and habitat composition , Tome 2004, Remacha & Delgado 2009, Lopez et al 2010, may also play a role in nest site selection, influencing occupancy rate of artificial nest-boxes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effectiveness of nest-box supplementation for the conservation of European rollers (Coracias garrulus)

Kiss

Tokody²,

Ludnai

et al. 2017

Acta Zool Acad Sci H

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Provisioning of artificial nest-boxes proved to be an effective method to make suitable breeding sites for secondary cavity nester birds due to the lack of natural hollows. The European roller (Coracias garrulus) is a threatened bird species in Europe, which suffered a serious decline throughout its breeding range. Changing agricultural practices seem to be the main causes attributed to the shortage of suitable breeding sites. In this study we aimed to investigate which factors affect the occupancy rate of newly provided nest-boxes. Four-year rollers' occupancy data were analysed by generalized linear models. Our results showed that nest-box characteristics (holder type and height above ground) and the presence of conspecifics significantly influenced rollers' nest-box occupancy. We conclude that nest-box visibility, height and the presence of conspecifics should also be considered when starting a nest-box supplementation program to ensure an effective method for the conservation of rollers.

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Nestbox orientation: a species-specific influence on occupation and breeding success in woodland passerines

Cited by 23 publications

References 26 publications

Causes and Consequences of Intraspecific Variation in Nesting Behaviors: Insights from Blue Tits and Great Tits

Causes and Consequences of Intraspecific Variation in Nesting Behaviors: Insights from Blue Tits and Great Tits

Outcomes of decades long installation of nest boxes for arboreal mammals in southern Australia

The effectiveness of nest-box supplementation for the conservation of European rollers (Coracias garrulus)

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