Differences in the Nestling Diets of Sympatric Redstarts<i>Phoenicurus phoenicurus</i>and Black Redstarts<i>P. ochruros</i>: Species-Specific Preferences or Responses to Food Supply?

Sedláček, Ondřej; Fuchs, Roman; Exnerová, Alice

doi:10.3161/068.042.0104

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This finding supports the general foraging strategy based on available food, including remarkable differences in diet composition between individuals observed at the same time in similar habitats (Zamora 1992, Hodar 1998, Nicolai 1998, 2001; see also Fig. 2), and nestlings of the Black Redstart (Sedlacek et al 2007).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…On the other hand, some data from the Mediterranean region reveal the lack of plant material in the autumn-winter diet of the Black Redstart, which indicates a general foraging strategy based on the diet consisting of available food resources (Herrera 1978, Hodar 1998, Nicolai 1998. Until now most papers on the diet of the Black Redstart have concerned mainly nestlings (Flinks & Pfeifer 1990, Sedlacek et al 2007) and adult birds on wintering grounds in the Mediterranean region (Herrera 1978, Zamora 1992, Hodar 1998, Nicolai 1998, 2001, including data on frugivory (Crocq 2002. However, detailed studies on the diet of Black Redstarts during summer and autumn in central and northern Europe are lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Frugivory and size variation of animal prey in Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros during summer and autumn in south-western Poland

Orlowski,

Karg,

Czarnecka

2011

Ornis Fenn

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Analyses of faeces of the Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros from the countryside of south-western Poland revealed a significant increase in the proportion of plant items (mainly berries of Sambucus nigralracemosa) between July and October; for animal prey items an inverse trend was found. During summer-autumn, no significant trends in the mass of all animal prey were found. The most numerous animal prey were three genera of ants (Lasius, Formica and Myrmica; 44.1% by number of all animal prey). Large numbers of undamaged seeds of several species of shrubs in the analyzed faeces, including non-native species, indicate that the Black Redstart is a potential disperser of woody plants in rural landscapes of Europe.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frugivory and size variation of animal prey in Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros during summer and autumn in south-western Poland

Orlowski,

Karg,

Czarnecka

2011

Ornis Fenn

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although both species of nightingales have a similar diet in general - they feed on small invertebrates on the ground in dense shrubby vegetation [ 46 ] - it is possible that minor differences in diet have evolved between the species in sympatry. These differences could be caused by either a separation of their feeding niches in sites where both species co-occur or by different food supplies in different microhabitats [ 66 ]. Territories of L. luscinia tend to occur in wetter sites in the region of sympatry, while L. megarhynchos is more frequent in drier places, probably due to displacement by interference competition [ 43 , 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological character displacement in the face of gene flow: Evidence from two species of nightingales

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundEcological character displacement is a process of phenotypic differentiation of sympatric populations caused by interspecific competition. Such differentiation could facilitate speciation by enhancing reproductive isolation between incipient species, although empirical evidence for it at early stages of divergence when gene flow still occurs between the species is relatively scarce. Here we studied patterns of morphological variation in sympatric and allopatric populations of two hybridizing species of birds, the Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) and the Thrush Nightingale (L. luscinia).ResultsWe conducted principal component (PC) analysis of morphological traits and found that nightingale species converged in overall body size (PC1) and diverged in relative bill size (PC3) in sympatry. Closer analysis of morphological variation along geographical gradients revealed that the convergence in body size can be attributed largely to increasing body size with increasing latitude, a phenomenon known as Bergmann's rule. In contrast, interspecific interactions contributed significantly to the observed divergence in relative bill size, even after controlling for the effects of geographical gradients. We suggest that the divergence in bill size most likely reflects segregation of feeding niches between the species in sympatry.ConclusionsOur results suggest that interspecific competition for food resources can drive species divergence even in the face of ongoing hybridization. Such divergence may enhance reproductive isolation between the species and thus contribute to speciation.

show abstract

“…We set the traps on May 25, June 16, and July 7, for a period of 72 h. All arthropods were conserved in 70% ethyl alcohol and classified into eight different taxa and five size classes (\2, 2-5, 5-10, 10-20, [20 mm). Only insects and spiders measuring 2-20 mm were used for further analysis, because it is unlikely that smaller and larger prey items are an important part of the diet of the common redstart (Sedlácek et al 2007). Lepidoptera larvae [20 mm, which may be an important prey for nestlings, were only exceptionally caught in the pitfall traps (three individuals in total).…”

Section: Arthropod Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat structure versus food abundance: the importance of sparse vegetation for the common redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus

et al. 2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As many other birds breeding in agricultural areas, the common redstart declined strongly in many Central European countries over the last 60 years. The destruction of traditionally managed orchards, an important breeding habitat in Central Europe, is a relevant cause. An additional factor for the decline of this species could be the intensified management of the ground vegetation in orchards through reducing food availability and lowering prey detectability and accessibility. In this study we examined the importance of surfaces with sparse vegetation for the location of redstart territories and for foraging. To validate the results of these field studies we made habitat-choice experiments in aviaries with captive birds. Territories occupied by redstarts in orchards of northwestern Switzerland contained a significantly higher proportion of surfaces with sparse vegetation than unoccupied control sites. Redstarts made almost five times more hunting flights into experimentally established ruderal vegetation strips than into adjacent unmown meadows. No difference was observed when the meadow was freshly mown. Vegetation height and the proportion of open ground surface correctly predicted the vegetation type for hunting in 77% of the cases. Experiments in aviaries offering two types of sparse vegetation and a dense meadow supported the results of the field experiments. Even a four-fold increase of the food abundance in the meadow did not lead to a noticeable change in preference for the sparse vegetation types. For the conservation of the common redstart, not only traditionally managed orchards with tall trees with cavities should be preserved but also areas with sparse vegetation should be favored.

show abstract

Differences in the Nestling Diets of Sympatric RedstartsPhoenicurus phoenicurusand Black RedstartsP. ochruros: Species-Specific Preferences or Responses to Food Supply?

Cited by 7 publications

References 20 publications

Frugivory and size variation of animal prey in Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros during summer and autumn in south-western Poland

Frugivory and size variation of animal prey in Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros during summer and autumn in south-western Poland

Ecological character displacement in the face of gene flow: Evidence from two species of nightingales

Habitat structure versus food abundance: the importance of sparse vegetation for the common redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About