Nest-site competition between bumblebees (Bombidae), social wasps (Vespidae) and cavity-nesting birds in Britain and the Western Palearctic
Capsule: There is no evidence of widespread significant nest-site competition in Britain or the Western Palearctic between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees or social wasps. Aims: To investigate competition between cavity-nesting birds and bumblebees and wasps, particularly the range-expanding Tree Bumblebee, Saxon Wasp and European Hornet in Britain, and review evidence throughout the Western Palearctic. Methods: We compared field data from English and Polish studies of tits and woodpeckers breeding in nest-boxes and/or tree holes to assess nest-site competition with bumblebees and wasps. We reviewed the literature quantifying nest-site competition between birds and these insects in the …
Breeding success of the Great Tit Parus major in relation to attributes of natural nest cavities in a primeval forest
An overlap in attributes of nest cavities used by Great Tit Parus major across Eurasia suggests similar nest site preferences within the geographical range, although the drivers of these preferences are unclear. To determine whether preferred cavities provide conditions enhancing successful reproduction, we investigated the breeding performance of Great Tits in relation to tree cavity characteristics using data collected during 2008–2011 in primeval conditions (Białowieża National Park, Poland). Here, tree cavities are diverse and superabundant but nesting birds are at risk from a variety of predators. According to expectations, nest losses were high (60 % of Great Tit nests failed), mostly…
Interspecific attraction between ground-nesting songbirds and ants: the role of nest-site selection
Abstract Background Interspecific interactions within ecological networks can influence animal fitness and behaviour, including nest-site selection of birds and ants. Previous studies revealed that nesting birds and ants may benefit from cohabitation, with interspecific attraction through their nest-site choice, but mutual interactions have not yet been tested. We explored a previously undescribed ecological link between ground-nesting birds and ants raising their own broods (larvae and pupae) within the birds’ nests in a temperate primeval forest of lowland Europe. We tested whether the occurrence of ant broods within bird nests resulted from a mutual or one-sided interspecific attraction …
Morphology, geographical variation and the subspecies of Marsh TitPoecile palustrisin Britain and central Europe
Capsule: All British Marsh Tits belong to subspecies Poecile palustris dresseri, being smaller than nominate P. p. palustris of central Europe. Aims: Determining the subspecies of Marsh Tit in Britain to test whether ssp. P. p. palustris occurs in northern England and Scotland, by assessing regional variation in size compared with central European birds. Methods: 1147 wing length and 250 tail length measurements from 953 Marsh Tits were compared between eight British locations to test for regional variation. Biometrics were compared between birds from Britain and six locations within the continental European range of ssp. palustris. Results: There was no regional variation in wing or tail l…
Occupation of wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix nests by Myrmica and Lasius ants
Bird nests can provide habitats for various invertebrates, including ectoparasites, scavengers, and predators. Records of ants associating with active bird nests mostly involve the insects searching for food, with some exceptional records of ants raising their broods (eggs, larvae or pupae) within songbird nests in nest-boxes or tree cavities. We present data for a previously undocumented, but apparently regular, occurrence of ants and their broods within the active nests of a songbird, the wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Bechstein, 1793), which builds domed nests on the ground in European forests. Systematic recording found ants, mostly Myrmica ruginodis Nylander, 1846, in 43% of 80 …
Additional file 1 of Interspecific attraction between ground-nesting songbirds and ants: the role of nest-site selection
Additional file 1: Table S1. The number of ant colonies on sample plots (3 × 3 m) that were centred on Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix nests and controls in 2018-2020. Shown are the total number of sample plots on which ant colonies were searched for, and the percentage of sample plots on which a minimum of one ant colony was found. An ant colony was defined as a group of ants (workers and/or a queen with larvae or pupae) occupying a nest structure other than bird nest. Table S2. The mean daily ambient temperature (5-day average) and daily sum of rainfall (5-day sum) preceding Wood Warbler nest failure or chicks’ fledging, and the delay of bird nest collection from the field in 2018-20…
Lack of specialist nidicoles as a characteristic of mite assemblages inhabiting nests of the ground-nesting wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes)
AbstractBird and mammal nests provide microhabitats that support a range of other species, including invertebrates. However, the variation between communities of nest-dwelling invertebrates in different nests is poorly understood. The major aim of this study was to analyze the assemblage structure of mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) and from superfamily Crotonioidea (Acari: Oribatida) inhabiting nests of the wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes), located on a forest floor in Białowieża Forest, in eastern Poland. We also assessed the correlation between the nest material used by the birds with the assemblage structure of Uropodina mites, and compa…
Inter-specific nest re-use by Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica
ABSTRACTCapsule: Reports of inter-specific nest re-use by Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica in Europe and North America are reviewed. Inter-specific nest re-use was rare but appeared opportunistic, possibly functioning as a time-saving mechanism or as a result of limited nest sites.
Weather impacts on interactions between nesting birds, nest-dwelling ectoparasites and ants.
AbstractWeather has a dominant impact on organisms, including their life histories and interspecific interactions. Yet, for nesting birds, and the arthropods inhabiting bird nests, the direct and cascading effects of weather are poorly known. We explored the influence of ambient temperatures and rainfall on the cohabitation of dome-shaped bird nests by Wood Warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix, their blowfly Protocalliphora azurea ectoparasites, and predatory Myrmica and Lasius ants that may provide nest sanitation. We sampled blowflies and ants in 129 nests, and measured warbler nestlings during 2018–2020 in the primeval Białowieża Forest, eastern Poland. The probability of ectoparasites occur…