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opencc-zeroJan 2024View details →

Water depth influences survival and predator-specific patterns of nest loss in three secretive marsh bird species

Wetlands have become increasingly rare in the United States, negatively influencing wetland-dependent birds, and many remaining wetlands are intensively managed through seasonal dewatering mimicking historic flood pulses during spring and summer. However, water around nests may provide protection from terrestrial predators, and lowering water levels during the breeding season of wetland birds may increase predation risk and exacerbate marsh bird population declines. Understanding interactions between water depth, nesting marsh birds, and nest predators is critical to aid managers in developing a multi-species management approach in emergent wetlands. During the 2020 and 2021 breeding seasons, we examined nest survival of 148 marsh bird nests (American Coot, Fulica americana, n = 1; Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata, n = 64; and Least Bittern; Ixobrychus exilis, n = 83) and installed cameras at 78 nests to identify predators at a large, restored floodplain wetland in Illinois where the primary management technique is seasonal water removal to stimulate germination of moist soil plants. We found nest predation of, and abandonment by, Least Bittern and Common Gallinule were related to shallower water, and early season, high volume dewatering. Least Bitterns nested more commonly along wetland edges and nests farther from the shore were more likely to survive. Similarly, we found mammalian depredation of nests and nest abandonment decreased when deeper water was present around nests. Alternatively, snake predation was observed earlier in the year prior to water removal from inundated emergent vegetation. Our results demonstrate water depth may be an important deterrent of nest predators, especially mammals, during the breeding season. Further, we recommend managers delay dewatering until after the nesting season at sites where management for conservation-priority marsh birds is a focus.

opencc-zeroFeb 2024View details →

Secondary Amazon rainforest partially recovers tree cavities suitable for nesting birds in 18–34 years

Passive restoration of secondary forests can partially offset loss of biodiversity following tropical deforestation. Tree cavities, an essential resource for cavity-nesting birds, are usually associated with old forest. We investigated the restoration time for tree cavities suitable for cavity-nesting birds in secondary forest at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) in central Amazonian Brazil. We hypothesized that cavity abundance would increase with forest age, but more rapidly in areas exposed to cutting only, compared to areas where forest was cut and burned. We also hypothesized that cavities would be lower, smaller, and less variable in secondary forest than in old-growth forest, which at the BDFFP is part of a vast lowland forest with no recent history of human disturbance. We used pole-mounted cameras and tree-climbing to survey cavities in 39 plots (each 200 × 40 m) across old-growth forests and 11–34 year-old secondary forests. We used generalized linear models to examine how cavity supply was related to forest age and land-use history (cut only vs cut-and-burn), and principal components analysis to compare cavity characteristics between old-growth and secondary forest. Cavity availability increased with secondary forest age, regardless of land-use history, but the oldest secondary forest (31–34 years) still had fewer cavities (mean ± SE = 9.8 ± 2.2 cavities/ha) than old-growth forest (20.5 ± 4.2 cavities/ha). Moreover, secondary forests lacked cavities that were high and deep, with large entrances – characteristics likely to be important for many species of cavity-nesting birds. Several decades may be necessary to restore cavity supply in secondary Amazonian forests, especially for the largest birds (e.g, forest-falcons and parrots > 190 g). Retention of legacy trees as forest is cleared might help maintain a supply of cavities that could allow earlier recolonization by some species of cavity-nesting birds when cleared areas are abandoned.

opencc-zeroSep 2022View details →

Raspberry Pi nest cameras – an affordable tool for remote behavioural and conservation monitoring of bird nests

1. Bespoke (custom-built) Raspberry Pi cameras are increasingly popular research tools in the fields of behavioural ecology and conservation, because of their comparative flexibility in programmable settings, ability to be paired with other sensors, and because they are typically cheaper than commercially built models. 2. Here we describe a novel, Raspberry Pi-based camera system that is fully portable and yet weatherproof – especially to humidity and salt spray. The camera was paired with a passive infra-red sensor, to create a movement-triggered camera capable of recording videos over a 24-hr period. We describe an example deployment involving "retro-fitting" these cameras into artificial nest boxes on Praia Islet, Azores archipelago, Portugal, to monitor the behaviours and interspecific interactions of two sympatric species of breeding storm-petrel (Monteiro's storm-petrel Hydrobates monteiroi and Madeiran storm-petrel Hydrobates castro) during their chick-rearing periods. 3. Of the 138 deployments, 70% of all deployments were deemed to be "Successful" (Successful was defined as continuous footage being recorded for more than one hour without an interruption), which equated to 87% of the individual 30 s videos. The bespoke cameras proved to be easily portable between 54 different nests and reasonably weatherproof (~14% of deployments classed as "Partial" or "Failure" deployments were specifically due to the weather/humidity), and we make further trouble-shooting suggestions to mitigate additional weather-related failures. 4. Here we have shown that this system is fully portable and capable of coping with salt spray and humidity, and consequently the camera-build methods and scripts could be applied easily to many different species that also utilise cavities, burrows, and artificial nests, and can potentially be adapted for other wildlife monitoring situations to provide novel insights into species-specific daily cycles of behaviours and interspecies interactions.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2021View details →

Fig. 3 in Diversity And Structure Of Nesting Birds In The Coastal Riparian Zones Of Great Kabylia In Algeria

Fig. 3. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) Showing the Avifauna Organization According to the Study Sites and the Environmental Variables.

Raw data for: Spatial and temporal variation in farmland bird nesting ecology: Implications for effective Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra conservation

These are raw data accompanying the study "Spatial and temporal variation in farmland bird nesting ecology: Implications for effective Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra conservation". All information on data origin, data analysis, and derived implications will be available with the original publiation.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2023View details →

Рис. 2. Ischnodes sibiricus (A) и Aplocnemus nigricornis (B). Линейка — 1 мм Fig 2. Ischnodes sibiricus (A) and Aplocnemus nigricornis (B). Scale bar — 1 mm in The beetles (Coleoptera) in nests of hollow-nesting birds in the south-east of Western Siberia (Tomskaya Region)

Рис. 2. Ischnodes sibiricus (A) и Aplocnemus nigricornis (B). Линейка — 1 мм Fig 2. Ischnodes sibiricus (A) and Aplocnemus nigricornis (B). Scale bar — 1 mm

Рис. 22. ГнезΑа поΛярных овсянок Schoeniclus pallasi. Остров БайΑуков, заΛив Счастья, июΛь 2022 г. Фото Δ. В. Коробова Fig. 22. Nests of Pallasꞌs Buntings Schoeniclus pallasi. Baydukova Island, Bay of Schastꞌе, July 2022. Photo by D. V. Korobov in New data on rare and insufficiently studied birds of the Shchastya Bay, the Sea of Okhotsk, and adjacent territories (Khabarovsk Krai)

Рис. 22. ГнезΑа поΛярных овсянок Schoeniclus pallasi. Остров БайΑуков, заΛив Счастья, июΛь 2022 г. Фото Δ. В. Коробова Fig. 22. Nests of Pallasꞌs Buntings Schoeniclus pallasi. Baydukova Island, Bay of Schastꞌе, July 2022. Photo by D. V. Korobov

Рис. 8. РаспреΑеΛение гнезΑ беΛопΛечего орΛана в заΛиве Счастья по состоянию на 2018–2020 гг. Красными точками показаны занятые гнезΑа, сиреневыми — незанятые, жеΛтыми — брошенные Fig. 8. Distribution of Steller's sea eagle nests of the Bay of Schastꞌе as of 2018–2020. Red dots indicate occupied nests, purple dots indicate unoccupied nests, and yellow dots indicate abandoned nests in New data on rare and insufficiently studied birds of the Shchastya Bay, the Sea of Okhotsk, and adjacent territories (Khabarovsk Krai)

Рис. 8. РаспреΑеΛение гнезΑ беΛопΛечего орΛана в заΛиве Счастья по состоянию на 2018–2020 гг. Красными точками показаны занятые гнезΑа, сиреневыми — незанятые, жеΛтыми — брошенные Fig. 8. Distribution of Steller's sea eagle nests of the Bay of Schastꞌе as of 2018–2020. Red dots indicate occupied nests, purple dots indicate unoccupied nests, and yellow dots indicate abandoned nests

Рис. 7. РаспреΑеΛение гнезΑ беΛопΛечего орΛана Haliaeetus pelagicus на береговой кромке заΛ. Счастья по состоянию на 2009 г. Красными точками показаны занятые гнезΑа, сиреневыми — незанятые, жеΛтыми — брошенные Fig. 7. Distribution of nests of the Steller's Sea Eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus on the coastal edge of the Bay of Schastꞌе as of 2009. Red dots indicate occupied nests, purple dots indicate unoccupied nests, and yellow dots indicate abandoned nests in New data on rare and insufficiently studied birds of the Shchastya Bay, the Sea of Okhotsk, and adjacent territories (Khabarovsk Krai)

Рис. 7. РаспреΑеΛение гнезΑ беΛопΛечего орΛана Haliaeetus pelagicus на береговой кромке заΛ. Счастья по состоянию на 2009 г. Красными точками показаны занятые гнезΑа, сиреневыми — незанятые, жеΛтыми — брошенные Fig. 7. Distribution of nests of the Steller's Sea Eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus on the coastal edge of the Bay of Schastꞌе as of 2009. Red dots indicate occupied nests, purple dots indicate unoccupied nests, and yellow dots indicate abandoned nests

opencc-by-4.0May 2018View details →

Figure 3 in First comprehensive research on pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) collected from bird nests in Russia

Figure 3. The main diagnostic characters of Dinocheirus species. Dinocheirus panzeri: A – the position of pseudotactile setae on tarsus of leg IV, male; C – tactile setae on tergite XI; E – female spermatheca. Dinocheirus transcaspius: B – the position of pseudotactile setae on tarsus of leg IV, female; D – absence of tactile setae on tergite XI; F – detail of female spermatheca. Arrows point to bulbs of bifid spermathecae. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

opencc-by-4.0May 2018View details →

Figure 2 in First comprehensive research on pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) collected from bird nests in Russia

Figure 2. Females of Dinocheirus species. A – Dinocheirus panzeri, B – Dinocheirus transcaspius. Scale bars: 1 mm.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2018View details →

Figures 1–4 in Mesostigmata mites (Acari: Parasitiformes) associated with birds and their nests from Egypt

Figures 1–4. Kleemannia nova Nasr & Abou-Awad, 1986: 1- General view of dorsum; 2- close-up of anterodorsal area showing the fanlike vertical setae; 3. Blattisocius keegani Fox, 1947, dorsal view, and the one-toothed movable digit of chelicera (bottom right); 4- Blattisocius tarsalis (Berlese, 1918), dorsal view, and the tridentate movable digit of chelicera (bottom right). Scale bars = 100 µm.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2020View details →

Fig. 1. A in Predation behaviour of the bridle snake (Lycodon cf. davisonii) on Asian tropical evergreen forest bird nests

Fig. 1. A photograph of a bridle snake (Lycodon cf. davisonii) having just consumed a bird's egg on 27 June 2019 at 2358 at the Sakaerat Environmental Research Station, north-eastern Thailand (photo by J. Goodyear).

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2020View details →

Fig. 2 in Predation behaviour of the bridle snake (Lycodon cf. davisonii) on Asian tropical evergreen forest bird nests

Fig. 2. Percentage of depredated nests for eight focal species caused by the top five nest predators at the Sakaerat Environmental Research Station, Thailand during the 2013–2019 breeding seasons. ABBA = Abbott's babbler, BNMO = black-naped monarch, IBFL = Indochinese blue-flycatcher, PTBA = puff-throated babbler, PTBU = puff-throated bulbul, SCBA = scaly-crowned babbler, STBU = stripe-throated bulbul, WRSH = white-rumped shama. N represents number of observed predation events for each nesting species.

opencc-zeroApr 2023View details →

Symbiotic microbiota vary with breeding group membership in a highly social joint-nesting bird

Symbiotic microbes affect the health, fitness, and behavior of their animal hosts, and can even affect the behavior of non-hosts. Living in groups presents numerous benefits and challenges to social animals, including exposure to symbiotic microbes, which can mediate both cooperation and competition. In social mammals, individuals from the same social group tend to share more similar microbes, and this social microbiome, the microbial community of all hosts in the same social group, can shape the benefits and costs of group living. In contrast, little is known about the social microbiome of group-living birds. We tested the predictions that communally breeding smooth-billed anis (Crotophaga ani) belonging to the same breeding group share more similar microbes and that microbial community composition differs between body regions. To test this, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize the preen gland and body feather microbiota of adult birds from 16 breeding groups at a long-term study site in southwestern Puerto Rico. As predicted, individuals from the same breeding group shared more similar microbiota than non-group members and preen gland and body feathers harboured distinct microbial communities. Future research will evaluate whether this social microbiome affects the behavior of group living birds.

opencc-zeroAug 2023View details →

Habitat geometry rather than visual acuity limits the visibility of a ground-nesting bird's clutch to terrestrial predators

The nests of ground-nesting birds rely heavily on camouflage for their survival, and predation risk, often linked to ecological changes from human activity, is a major source of mortality. Numerous ground-nesting bird populations are in decline, so understanding the effects of camouflage on their nesting behaviour is of relevance to their conservation concern. Habitat three-dimensional (3D) geometry together with predator visual abilities, viewing distance, and viewing angle determine whether a nest is either visible, occluded or too far away to detect. While this link is intuitive, few studies have investigated how fine-scale geometry is likely to help defend nests from different predator guilds. We quantified nest visibility based on 3D occlusion, camouflage, and predator visual modelling in northern lapwing, Vanellus vanellus, on different land management regimes. Lapwings selected local backgrounds that had a higher 3D complexity at a spatial scale greater than their entire clutches compared to local control sites. Importantly, our findings show that habitat geometry – rather than predator visual acuity – restricts nest visibility to terrestrial predators, and that their field habitats perceived by humans as open are functionally closed with respect to a terrestrial predator searching for nests on the ground. Taken together with lapwings' careful nest site selection, our findings highlight the importance of considering habitat geometry for understanding the evolutionary ecology and management of conservation sites for ground-nesting birds.

publicJan 2024View details →

Water depth influences survival and predator-specific patterns of nest loss in three secretive marsh bird species

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