Armed Rollers: Does Nestling’s Vomit Function as a Defence against Predators?

Parejo, Deseada; Avilés, Jesús M.; Peña, Aránzazu; Sànchez-Nácher, Lourdes; Ruano, Francisca; Zamora‐Muñoz, Carmen; Martín‐Vivaldi, Manuel

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0068862

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Our results also showed that the relative success of asynchronous broods varied with local rainfall in the previous month to reproduction, which seems to be another piece of evidence suggesting that food availability is the basis of the found pattern. Rollers mainly feed offspring with arthropods (grasshoppers; Parejo et al 2013) and arthropods abundance is determined in semi-arid areas by previous local rainfall (Illera and Díaz 2006). Therefore, asynchronous broods seem to be favoured in less productive years, when rainfall during the month previous to reproduction is scarce and, hence, when arthropods abundance is likely to be limited.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, after clutch completion both sexes participate in incubation and feeding tasks (Cramp and Simmons 1988;Avilés et al 2011). Diet of nestling rollers is exclusively insectivorous, being arthropods the main prey delivered by parents (Avilés and Parejo 1997;Parejo et al 2013), which suggests that climatic factors affecting insect production are likely to affect roller reproductive features.…”

Section: Study Population and Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many pieces of evidence suggest that climatic conditions profoundly affect, direct or indirectly, avian reproductive variables (Li and Brown 1999;Sillett et al 2000;Møller 2002;Rodríguez and Bustamante 2003;Weatherhead 2005). The roller is an insectivorous bird (Cramp and Simmons 1988) that mainly feeds offspring with grasshoppers (acridids principally, Parejo et al 2013) and insect activity, development and vital cycles strongly depend on the temperature in the Mediterranean region (see Gordo et al 2010 for a couple of examples). More concretely, temperature highly favours post-embryonic development and outbreaks of acridids in Spain (Quesada-Moraga and Santiago-Á lvarez 2000; Santiago-Á lvarez et al 2003;Coca-Abia et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hatching Asynchrony and Spring Climatic Conditions in the European Roller

2015

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Hatching asynchrony (HA hereafter) leads to patent age and size hierarchies within broods of altricial birds, disadvantaging runts through a reduced condition/survival. The function of HA is controversial, although a general hypothesis states that HA would be an adaptive maternal mechanism for maximizing reproductive output under particular ecological conditions. Accordingly, when ecological conditions are not favourable, asynchronous broods would outperform synchronous broods because the formers would allow for an adaptive adjustment of brood size. A poorly untested prediction emerging from this hypothesis is that the adaptive value of HA should change with environmental conditions in relatively long time windows within a population. Using data from 8 years of a population of the asynchronous European roller Coracias garrulus, we studied variation in HA and fecundity selection on HA. Hatching span (ranging from 1 to 8 days) was longer in larger broods and later in the breeding season. Interestingly, we found that asynchronous broods were more fecund than synchronous ones in colder and drier years in April, which is the previous month to reproduction, and the opposite was true in years with warmer but rainier Aprils. Given that warmer and rainier Aprils relate to advanced and increased arthropod availability in the Mediterranean region, these results would suggest that HA in rollers might function as an adaptive trait that provides parents of asynchronous broods with some benefits in years with low productivity, in agreement with the Lack's brood reduction hypothesis, and illustrate the relevance of studying the adaptive value of HA over gradients of environmental conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Population and Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hatching Asynchrony and Spring Climatic Conditions in the European Roller

2015

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“…In birds, nest predation has promoted the evolution of various morphological, physiological, and behavioural anti-predator adaptations (Martin 1987; Lima 2009; Parejo et al 2013). Potential prey may be able to change the behaviour of a predator, but cavity-nesting birds generally remain hidden, relying on a small cavity entrance as passive nest protection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silence is not golden: the hissing calls of tits affect the behaviour of a nest predator

Zub

Czeszczewik

Ruczyński

et al. 2017

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Nest predation is one of the most important mortality factors of birds. Field observations showed that tits (Paridae) produce hissing calls and, usually, have lower breeding losses than nesting Ficedula flycatchers, which do not make such calls. We hypothesise that differences in fledgling success can be directly attributed to the vocal reaction of tits. We tested experimentally whether the hissing calls can affect the behaviour of a potential predator, analysing the response of the Yellow-necked Mouse Apodemus flavicollis to playback of calls of three Parid species. The number of visits by mice to two types of cavities (with playback and control) was not significantly different, but the average time spent by mice in cavities with playback (3.9 s) was significantly shorter than in cavities without playback (26.3 s). This suggests that hissing behaviour of tits significantly changes the exploration activity of predators, which may ultimately increase the breeding success of this group of birds relative to the flycatchers.Significance statementNest predation is one of the most important mortality factors of small land birds, but some anti-predatory mechanisms are still poorly recognised. Numerous studies demonstrate that incubating tits make hissing sounds, when a predator is near, but despite almost a century of research, there is little evidence these calls indeed affect behaviour of predators. By using a simple laboratory experiment, we demonstrated that the hissing acoustic signals used by tits may change the behaviour of yellow-necked mice, which are an important predator of cavity-nesting birds in temperate forests. Intruding mice withdrew from cavities where hissing sounds were played back. Our results suggest that the hissing behaviour of tits can change the exploration activity of potential predators and may increase breeding success of this group of birds relative to the flycatchers, which stay silent when their nest is threatened.

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“…(•) indicates that the 95% confidence intervals don't overlap with 0, and (×) indicates that they do species distribution at a local scale. Factors such as nest location, habitat patch composition and presence of conspecifics and/or predators are known to highly affect nest site selection in European Roller Vaclav et al 2011;Parejo et al 2013;Bouvier et al 2014).…”

Section: Effects On Nest Box Occupancymentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest box selection and reproduction of European Rollers in Central Italy: a 7-year study

et al. 2019

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Background: Changes and increased mechanisation of agricultural practices have influenced the biodiversity composition of farmland habitats and caused a decline of bird communities in many European countries. The removal of shrubs and large trees rich in natural cavities, has also led to a drastic decrease in nest site availability for cavity-nesting bird species. Nest-boxes are a common conservation tool used to improve nest-site availability, and have helped to reverse declines in many endangered bird populations. Nonetheless to maximize the results of such interventions it is crucial to know where nest-boxes should be sited. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the nest-box program for the European Roller (Coracias garrulus) population of Lazio region (Central Italy). More specifically, we focused on what landscape features were preferred (or avoided) in the process of nest box selection and how they influenced population's breeding parameters. Particular attention was paid to identifying potential limitations and to provide management recommendations for future interventions.Methods: Using data from 70 nest boxes sited on power lines monitored over a 7-year period (representing 140 breeding attempts), we developed probability functions to evaluate if nest box location, in terms of distance from habitat resources and habitat composition and structure, had an effect on nest box occupancy and on the main reproductive parameters.Results: Nest boxes were more likely to be occupied if they were located near arable fields and in areas characterized by a higher amount of incoming solar radiation. Higher fledging success was associated with fallow fields and with a moderate/low habitat structural complexity. Higher breeding success was associated with solar radiation and with greater distance from urban areas. Conclusions:Our results highlight the importance of specific habitat variables in influencing nest occupancy, and show which drivers primarily affect species' reproduction and persistence over time. Siting nest boxes in habitats where occupancy rate and fledging success is higher, such as in arable and fallow fields and on south-facing slopes where solar radiation is maximised, may help to extend the suitable habitat for rollers and facilitate its local expansion.

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Armed Rollers: Does Nestling’s Vomit Function as a Defence against Predators?

Cited by 14 publications

References 35 publications

Hatching Asynchrony and Spring Climatic Conditions in the European Roller

Hatching Asynchrony and Spring Climatic Conditions in the European Roller

Silence is not golden: the hissing calls of tits affect the behaviour of a nest predator

Nest box selection and reproduction of European Rollers in Central Italy: a 7-year study

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