Repeatable nest defense behavior in a wild population of Eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) as evidence of personality

Burtka, Jennifer L.; Grindstaff, Jennifer L.

doi:10.1007/s10211-013-0143-7

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…Redmond et al. ; Betini & Norris ; Burtka & Grindstaff ), this is the first study to evaluate the repeatability of the nest defence behaviour in the context of brood parasitism. To our knowledge, only Čapek et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Although previous studies have examined the repeatability of a wide variety of behaviours (Bell et al. ), including nest defence behaviour in birds (Betini & Norris ; Burtka & Grindstaff ), the repeatability of host aggression against adult brood parasites has not been studied yet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…). Currently, in the avian literature, there are mixed findings on whether male or female nest defence is more repeatable (Betini & Norris ; Burtka & Grindstaff ), and no study on this topic has ever been conducted on the great reed warbler. Only recently, Trnka & Grim () showed that experimentally widowed great reed warbler females defended their nests against a nest predator equally aggressively as females that were accompanied by their mates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Repeatability of Host Female and Male Aggression Towards a Brood Parasite

et al. 2013

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Current research on behavioural consistency showed that various types of animal behaviour are highly repeatable in the context of mate choice, exploration and parental care, including nest protection. However, the repeatability of aggressive nest defence has not yet been studied in hosts of brood parasites, although host aggression against adult parasites represents a crucial line of antiparasitic defences. Here, we investigated the between‐season repeatability of the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) aggression towards a stuffed dummy of the brood parasitic common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). We found that under the relatively stable risk of brood parasitism across breeding seasons, female responses to the cuckoo were highly repeatable, whereas male responses were variable. We suggest that the potential explanation for the observed patterns of female and male behaviours may lie in female's prominent roles in offspring care and nest protection, and in her lower renesting potential in comparison with that of males. However, further studies on the relationship between host aggression and other types of behaviours (host personality) and their fitness consequences under the fluctuating parasitism pressures are required to clarify the adaptive significance of aggressive behaviour observed in hosts of brood parasites.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Repeatability of Host Female and Male Aggression Towards a Brood Parasite

et al. 2013

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“…For example, male sticklebacks consistently differ in rates of fanning, a direct form of parental care (Stein and Bell 2012). Individual parents also consistently differ in indirect forms of parental care, such as offspring/nest defense (Kontiainen et al 2009; Burtka and Grindstaff 2013). …”

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confidence: 99%

Consistent individual differences in paternal behavior: a field study of three-spined stickleback

Stein

Bell

2014

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Consistent individual differences in parenting are widespread; however, we know little about why there is variation in parenting behavior among individuals within species. One possible explanation for consistent individual differences in parenting is that individuals invest in different aspects of parental care, such as provisioning or defense. In this field study we measured consistent individual differences in parenting behavior and evaluated correlations between parenting and other behaviors in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We repeatedly measured male parenting behavior and male behavior in the presence of three different types of live intruders: a female, a conspecific male, and a predator, meant to provoke courtship, aggressive and antipredator behavior, respectively. While males plastically adjusted their reactions to different types of intruders, we found consistent individual differences in behavior (behavioral types) both within and across contexts, even after accounting for variation in body size and nest characteristics. Males that performed more parenting behavior responded faster to all types of intruders. These results suggest that in nature, individual male stickleback exhibit robust parental behavioral types, and highly parental males are more attentive to their surroundings. Future studies are needed to examine the potential causes of individual variation in parental behavior in the field.

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“…Both sexes defend the nest cavity and territory (75 m radius around box) throughout the season (pairs can produce two to three broods per year) and forage on terrestrial arthropods (Gowaty and Plissner, 2015). Individual eastern bluebirds exhibit repeatable aggressive behavior (Burtka and Grindstaff, 2013;Harris and Siefferman, 2014) and behavioral similarity of partners in nest defense has been demonstrated Burtka and Grindstaff, 2015). Tree swallows weigh ∼20 g and have recently expanded their breeding range to the southeastern United States (∼40 years; Lee, 1993) and often outcompete bluebirds for nesting cavities (45% usurped in 2015, pers.…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral Differences among Eastern Bluebird Populations Could Be a Consequence of Tree Swallow Presence: A Pilot Study

2017

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Aggressive interference competition for limited resources is frequently observed among animals. However, these behavioral interactions within (intraspecific) and between (interspecific) species are costly as they can be energetically expensive and cause injury or death. To avoid these agonistic interactions, numerous species alter their behaviors and resource requirements. Spatial variation in nest site competition allows for investigation of concurrent variation in territorial defense behavior. Further, among species with bi-parental nest defense, behavioral similarity in territorial defense may benefit pairs. Here, we studied territorial aggression between two eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) populations (North Carolina and Alabama, USA) that differ in avian community structure; those in North Carolina have recently begun to experience strong interspecific competition for nesting cavities by tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), a competitive pressure that is relatively new for North Carolina bluebirds (∼35-40 years) and is absent in Alabama populations. We found that bluebirds in North Carolina are more aggressive to simulated territorial intrusions compared to their Alabama counterparts. Behavioral similarity (here, in aggression) between partners is strong and similar in both populations. These results suggest that bluebirds in North Carolina may have to maintain higher baseline aggression during territory establishment and nest construction to co-occur with highly aggressive tree swallows, but that, in both populations, behavioral similarity between partners may be adaptive. Finally, we acknowledge the preliminary nature of this study and the need for expanding the behavioral studies to other sites in the southeastern United States. Greater regional coverage would exclude the possibility of alternative drivers of the observed behavioral differences between the North Carolina and Alabama populations.

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Repeatable nest defense behavior in a wild population of Eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) as evidence of personality

Cited by 32 publications

References 86 publications

Repeatability of Host Female and Male Aggression Towards a Brood Parasite

Repeatability of Host Female and Male Aggression Towards a Brood Parasite

Consistent individual differences in paternal behavior: a field study of three-spined stickleback

Behavioral Differences among Eastern Bluebird Populations Could Be a Consequence of Tree Swallow Presence: A Pilot Study

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