Nesting Success of Western Bluebirds (Sialia Mexicana) Using Nest Boxes in Vineyard and Oak-Savannah Habitats of California

Fiehler, Craig M.; Tietje, William D.; Fields, William R.

doi:10.1676/05-066.1

“…Fiehler et al demonstrated that California vineyard nest boxes provide compensatory breeding resources for bluebirds [30]. Bluebird clutch size was larger and nest initiation date earlier in vineyards compared to neighboring oak-savanna habitat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Western Bluebird, hereafter simply bluebird, is one of the species that nest in natural oak cavities and the primary occupant of vineyard nest boxes in the North and Central Coast of CA [30], serving as the focal predator species of this study. Western Bluebirds forage by perching in low vegetation and striking arthropods on the ground, air, or vegetation [31], and potentially serve as an important natural predator to many vineyard insect pest species [32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian Conservation Practices Strengthen Ecosystem Services in California Vineyards

Jedlicka

¹

,

Greenberg

²

,

Letourneau

³

2011

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Insectivorous Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) occupy vineyard nest boxes established by California winegrape growers who want to encourage avian conservation. Experimentally, the provision of available nest sites serves as an alternative to exclosure methods for isolating the potential ecosystem services provided by foraging birds. We compared the abundance and species richness of avian foragers and removal rates of sentinel prey in treatments with songbird nest boxes and controls without nest boxes. The average species richness of avian insectivores increased by over 50 percent compared to controls. Insectivorous bird density nearly quadrupled, primarily due to a tenfold increase in Western Bluebird abundance. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the abundance of omnivorous or granivorous bird species some of which opportunistically forage on grapes. In a sentinel prey experiment, 2.4 times more live beet armyworms (Spodoptera exigua) were removed in the nest box treatment than in the control. As an estimate of the maximum foraging services provided by insectivorous birds, we found that larval removal rates measured immediately below occupied boxes averaged 3.5 times greater than in the control. Consequently the presence of Western Bluebirds in vineyard nest boxes strengthened ecosystem services to winegrape growers, illustrating a benefit of agroecological conservation practices. Predator addition and sentinel prey experiments lack some disadvantages of predator exclusion experiments and were robust methodologies for detecting ecosystem services.

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“…The Western Bluebird, hereafter simply bluebird, is one of the species that nest in natural oak cavities and the primary occupant of vineyard nest boxes in the North and Central Coast of CA [30], serving as the focal predator species of this study. Western Bluebirds forage by perching in low vegetation and striking arthropods on the ground, air, or vegetation [31], and potentially serve as an important natural predator to many vineyard insect pest species [32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian Conservation Practices Strengthen Ecosystem Services in California Vineyards

Jedlicka¹,

Greenberg²,

Letourneau³

2015

Environmentally Sustainable Viticulture

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Insectivorous Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) occupy vineyard nest boxes established by California winegrape growers who want to encourage avian conservation. Experimentally, the provision of available nest sites serves as an alternative to exclosure methods for isolating the potential ecosystem services provided by foraging birds. We compared the abundance and species richness of avian foragers and removal rates of sentinel prey in treatments with songbird nest boxes and controls without nest boxes. The average species richness of avian insectivores increased by over 50 percent compared to controls. Insectivorous bird density nearly quadrupled, primarily due to a tenfold increase in Western Bluebird abundance. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the abundance of omnivorous or granivorous bird species some of which opportunistically forage on grapes. In a sentinel prey experiment, 2.4 times more live beet armyworms (Spodoptera exigua) were removed in the nest box treatment than in the control. As an estimate of the maximum foraging services provided by insectivorous birds, we found that larval removal rates measured immediately below occupied boxes averaged 3.5 times greater than in the control. Consequently the presence of Western Bluebirds in vineyard nest boxes strengthened ecosystem services to winegrape growers, illustrating a benefit of agroecological conservation practices. Predator addition and sentinel prey experiments lack some disadvantages of predator exclusion experiments and were robust methodologies for detecting ecosystem services.

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“…Our study showed that areas with limited availability of naturally-occurring nesting sites could be converted to good breeding habitats only with the addition of nest boxes. It should be noted, however, that whereas nest boxes may be an effective short-term conservation tool for enhancing or maintaining some bird populations, they do not mitigate the effects of chronic habitat loss for the many species in urban or suburban areas (Fiehler et al 2006). of Helsinki) for helping us with the figures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Hole-Nesting Passerine Birds Fare Well at Artificial Suburban Forest Edges?

Saarikivi¹,

Herczeg²

2014

Annales Zoologici Fennici

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Urbanization and subsequent disturbance, habitat alteration and fragmentation are usually seen as major threats to biodiversity. However, habitat alterations might also create new habitat types that can be used by the local fauna. Here, we tested whether hole-nesting passerines use forest edges next to open grassland areas for reproduction by assessing five golf courses in the Helsinki region in southern Finland. We found a major effect in all species breeding at our sites (great tit, Parus major; blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus; pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca): both nest occupancy and the number of offspring were significantly higher at the artificial edges than 50 m into the original forests. We conclude that man-made suburban forest edges provide suitable habitat for nesting, which could be further improved with the addition of nest boxes.

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Nesting Success of Western Bluebirds (Sialia Mexicana) Using Nest Boxes in Vineyard and Oak-Savannah Habitats of California

Cited by 14 publications

References 22 publications

Avian Conservation Practices Strengthen Ecosystem Services in California Vineyards

Avian Conservation Practices Strengthen Ecosystem Services in California Vineyards

Avian Conservation Practices Strengthen Ecosystem Services in California Vineyards

Do Hole-Nesting Passerine Birds Fare Well at Artificial Suburban Forest Edges?

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