Effect of Old Nest Material on Nest Site Selection and Breeding Parameters in Secondary Hole Nesters — a Review

Mazgajski, Tomasz D.

doi:10.3161/068.042.0107

Cited by 70 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Their inclusion is noteworthy because they constitute only a small fraction of the plants available as nesting materials within the wider environment, and yet they are highly sought after because they contain a high abundance of volatile secondary metabolites that reduce the abundance of a range of nest-dwelling parasites (Belandrin et al, 1985;Dubiec et al, 2013). Accordingly, there is evidence that birds mitigate the effects of parasites by choosing nest sites containing few parasites (Mappes et al, 1994;Rendell and Verbeek, 1996;Mazgajski, 2007;Suárez-Rodríguez et al, 2013) and by incorporating aromatic plant materials into their nests to reduce either the abundance or virulence of parasites (Wimberger, 1984;Clark and Mason, 1985, 1988Clark, 1991;Shutler and Campbell, 2007). Both blue tits and great tits incorporate aromatic plants into their nests (Cowie and Hinsley, 1988;Bańbura et al, 1995) and detailed studies of Corsican blue tits have shown that nest-building females incorporate between one and five aromatic herb species into their nests (Lambrechts and dos Santos, 2000;Lafuma et al, 2001;Petit et al, 2002;Lambrechts et al, 2008;Mennerat et al, 2008).…”

Section: Parasite Avoidancementioning

confidence: 99%

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: Parasite Avoidancementioning

confidence: 99%

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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“…Loye & Zuk 1991, Møller 1997, also in cavity-nesting species (Mazgajski 2007a, Wiebe 2009). Changing of a nest site could reduce parasitism rates (Collias & Collias 1984, Hansell 2000, and woodpeckers could avoid parasites by excavating new cavities (Short 1979).…”

Section: Three-toed Woodpeckers In Old Cavities and Nest Treesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Time available for breeding is, however, limited, especially in northern latitudes, and cavity-excavating species can save time by reusing old nest holes. Obviously, cavity-excavating bird species are likely to face a trade-off between excavating a new cavity and reusing an old one, and the decision depends on, e.g., population structure or different risks such as predation, competition and ectoparasitism (Short 1979, Aitken et al 2002, Wiebe et al 2006, Mazgajski 2007a. The use of an old cavity may also be beneficial because woodpeckers have previously found it structurally sound, its location is advantageous for feeding or previous nesting attempts were successful (see Aitken & Martin 2004, Wiebe et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Nesting Cavity and Tree Reuse in the Three-Toed WoodpeckerPicoides tridactylusin Dynamic Forest Landscapes

Pakkala

Tiainen

Kouki

2017

Annales Zoologici Fennici

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Cavity-nesting birds can save time and energy by reusing old cavities. We studied cavity reuse and its connections to nesting success and timing in the three-toed woodpecker Picoides tridactylus in a 170-km 2 area in southern Finland during 1987-2015. The data include 520 nest trees, 645 nest cavities and 833 nestings in 86 territory sites, including 211 cases of cavity reuse. Twenty-five percent of nestings was in previously used cavities. Twenty-eight percent of cavities and 25% of nest trees were used more than once. Reuse improved nesting success and facilitated early nesting in the year following first nesting. Reuse of nest trees with several cavities was observed in 15% of nest trees, and 62% of reused cavities were in those multi-cavity trees. Cavity reuse and multi-cavity trees were most abundant in long-term territories with stable habitats. In boreal forests, cavity and tree reuse can be an important adaptation allowing efficient nesting during a short breeding season.

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“…All these responses are complementary and may be induced in adults, nestlings or both (Hart 1992, Keymer and Read 1991, Simon et al 2005. Nesting adults may avoid nest sites with high ectoparasite loads (Moore 2002), due to the association between old nest material and higher abundance of certain types of ectoparasites (Mazgajski 2007, Tomás et al 2007, López-Arrabé et al 2012) and bacteria . Adults may also take measures to indirectly minimize the effects of nest parasites through incorporation of fresh plant material containing compounds that either directly affect the development of parasites (Malan et al 2002, Clark and Mason 1988, Lafuma et al 2001, Tomás et al 2012 or stimulate elements of the immune system of chicks that help them to cope better with the harmful activities of ectoparasites (Mennerat et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural responses to ectoparasites in pied flycatchersFicedula hypoleuca: an experimental study

Cantarero¹,

López‐Arrabé²,

Redondo³

et al. 2013

Journal of Avian Biology

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Nests of cavity‐nesting birds usually harbor some species of haematophagous ectoparasites that feed on the incubating adults and nestlings. Given the negative impact of ectoparasites on nestlings there will be selection on hosts to reduce parasite infestations through behavioural means. We have experimentally reduced the abundance of all ectoparasites in nests of pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca to explore both whether there are changes in the frequency and duration of putative anti‐parasite behaviours by tending adults, as well as whether such anti‐parasite behaviours are able to compensate for the deleterious effects that parasites may have on nestlings. Heat treatment of nests substantially decreased the density of ectoparasites, and thereby positively affected nestling growth. The frequency and intensity of female grooming and nest sanitation behaviours during the incubation and nestling periods decreased as a consequence of the experimental reduction of ectoparasite infestation. Although nestlings begged more intensely in infested nests, the experiment had no significant effect on parental provisioning effort. Reduction of parasites resulted in larger nestlings shortly before fledging and increased fledging success. This study shows a clear effect of a complete natural nest ectoparasite fauna on parental behaviour at the nest and nestling growth in a cavity‐nesting bird. Although ectoparasites induce anti‐parasite behaviours in females, these behaviours are not able to fully remove parasite's deleterious effects on nestling growth and survival.

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Effect of Old Nest Material on Nest Site Selection and Breeding Parameters in Secondary Hole Nesters — a Review

Cited by 70 publications

References 70 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

The Importance of Nesting Cavity and Tree Reuse in the Three-Toed WoodpeckerPicoides tridactylusin Dynamic Forest Landscapes

Behavioural responses to ectoparasites in pied flycatchersFicedula hypoleuca: an experimental study

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