Nest-building males trade off material collection costs with territory value

Bailey, Ida E.; Morgan, Kate; Oschadleus, H Dieter; DeRuiter, Stacy L.; Meddle, Simone; Healy, Susan D.

doi:10.1071/mu15022

Cited by 32 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, if captive birds are able to exhibit such discriminatory behaviour during nest construction then there is little reason to expect that wild birds could not do so too. Indeed, male Cape Weavers Ploceus capensis choose longer and stronger materials to build the outer nest before adding increasing shorter and weaker materials as nest-building progresses (Bailey et al 2016). American Robins and Song Thrushes also change their behaviour by bringing in different materials at progressive stages of nest construction (Howell 1942;Goodfellow 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies of the structural properties of nest materials are rare (Silva et al 2010;Biddle et al 2015Biddle et al , 2017Bailey et al 2016), so little is known about whether birds are generally selective of nest materials based on their biomechanical properties. It is also not known whether the species studied to date are representative of other species of similar size.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Birds use structural properties when selecting materials for different parts of their nests

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bird nests can have various roles but all act as the location for incubation, so at least have to serve to hold and support the incubating bird and its clutch of eggs. Nest construction is species specific and the use of materials varies between different parts of the nest. At present we know very little about the role that these materials play in the structural characteristics of the nest. This study examined materials from deconstructed nests from four species of thrush (Turdidae) and two species of finch (Fringillidae) that all constructed nests made of woody stems. It was hypothesised that structural properties would vary within the different regions of a nest, with thicker and stronger materials being found in parts of the nest needing the most support. Secondly, it was predicted that structural properties would vary little between nests of members of the same family, but would be quite different between nests of different families. Nests were deconstructed to quantify the materials used in the cup lining, and the upper and lower parts of the outer nest. The 20 thickest pieces of material were selected from each nest part and for each piece, and their diameter and mass quantified. Each piece was then subjected to a three-point bending test using an Instron universal testing machine to determine its rigidity and bending strength. Placement of materials in the nest was non-random in all species. The materials used in the outer part of the nest were thicker, stronger and stiffer than those materials found in the cup lining. The extent to which these structural properties varied between families depended on where the material was taken from the nest. Both strength and rigidity strongly positively correlated with the diameter of the piece of material. We hypothesise that birds are not directly aware of the structural properties of the material per se but rather assess diameter and mass of the material when they pick it up by the bill. Using this information they decide on whether the piece is suitable for that appropriate stage of nest construction. Keywords

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birds use structural properties when selecting materials for different parts of their nests

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Male Cape Weavers (Ploceus capensis) selected a limited number of plant species and long, stronger materials to build their nests (Bailey et al, 2016). The experience of the bird may also influence the materials chosen during nest construction, as in in captive Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata; Healy 2011, Bailey et al 2014).…”

Section: Variability In Nest Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, Bailey et al (2016) proposed that male Zebra Finches in territories of a more 'desirable' location flew further to collect materials than those that weren't due to the benefits gained from holding that territory.…”

Section: Variability In Nest Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition of Bird Nests is a Species-Specific Characteristic

Biddle

Broughton

Goodman

et al. 2018

Avian Biology Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bird nests represent an extended phenotype of individuals expressed during reproduction and so exhibit variability in composition, structure and function. Descriptions of nests based on qualitative observations suggest that there is interspecific variation in size and composition but there are very few species in which this has been confirmed. For these species, data of the amounts of different materials indicate that nest construction behaviour is plastic and affected by a variety of factors, such as prevailing temperature, geographic location, and availability of materials. The lack of data on nest composition is hampering our understanding of how nests achieve their various functions and how different species solve the problem of building a nest that will accommodate incubation and allow successful hatching of eggs. This study deconstructed nests of four species of the Turdidae, four species of the Muscicapidae, and six species of the Fringillidae and quantified the size of the nests and their composition. These data were used to test: 1) whether nest size correlated with adult bird mass; 2) whether it was possible to distinguish between species on the basis of their nest composition; and 3) whether, within a species, it was possible to distinguish between the cup lining and the rest of the nest based on composition. Most but not all nest dimensions correlated with bird mass. Principal component analysis revealed species differences based on nest composition and discriminant analysis could distinguish cup lining from the outer nest based on material composition. Intraspecific variation in composition varied among species and in general fewer types of material were found in the cup lining than the outer nest. These data provide insight into how nests are constructed by the different species and in conjunction with studies of the mechanical, thermal and hydrological properties of a nest, will begin to reveal how and why individual species select particular combinations of materials to build a nest.

show abstract

“…In birds, the degree of cooperation between the sexes during nest building could be linked to the mating system. For instance, in various polygynous weaver species (Ploceidae) males build nests alone to attract females (Bailey et al, 2016), whereas in monogamous weavers mated pairs build their nest cooperatively (Habig, 2020). Furthermore, two largely genetically monogamous species, Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) (Parrot, 1995) and rufous horneros (Furnarius rufus) (Diniz et al, 2019), also build their nest cooperatively (Birkhead, 2010;Massoni et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cooperative nest building in wild jackdaw pairs

Hahn

Hooper

McIvor

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Animals create diverse structures, both individually and cooperatively, using materials from their environment. One striking example are the nests birds build for reproduction, which protect the offspring from external stressors such as predators and temperature, promoting reproductive success. To construct a nest successfully, birds need to make various decisions, for example regarding the nest material and their time budgets. To date, research has focused mainly on species where one sex is primarily responsible for building the nest. In contrast, the cooperative strategies of monogamous species in which both sexes contribute to nest building are poorly understood. Here we investigated the role of both sexes in nest building and fitness correlates of behaviour in wild, monogamous jackdaw pairs (Corvus monedula). We show that both partners contributed to nest building and behaved similarly, with females and males present in the nest box for a comparable duration and transporting material to the nest equally often. However, while females spent more time constructing the nest, males tended to invest more time in vigilance, potentially as a means of coping with competition for nest cavities. These findings suggest a moderate degree of division of labour, which may facilitate cooperation. Moreover, some aspects of behaviour were related to proxies of reproductive success (lay date and egg volume). Females that contributed relatively more to bringing material laid earlier clutches and pairs that spent less time together in the nest box had larger eggs. Thus, selection pressures may act on how nest building pairs spend their time and cooperatively divide the labour. We conclude that cooperative nest building in birds could be associated with monogamy and obligate biparental care, and provides a vital but relatively untapped context through which to study the evolution of cooperation.

show abstract

Nest-building males trade off material collection costs with territory value

Cited by 32 publications

References 30 publications

Birds use structural properties when selecting materials for different parts of their nests

Birds use structural properties when selecting materials for different parts of their nests

Composition of Bird Nests is a Species-Specific Characteristic

Cooperative nest building in wild jackdaw pairs

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About