Nest-box size influences where secondary-cavity exploiters roost and nest: a choice experiment
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SHORT NOTE
Nest-box size influences where secondary-cavity exploiters roost and nest: a choice experiment Marcel M. Lambrechts • Matthieu Abouladze´ • Michel Bonnet • Virginie Demeyrier • Claire Doutrelant • Virginie Faucon • Gae¨lle le Prado • Fre´de´ric Lidon • Thierry Noell • Pascal Pagano • Philippe Perret • Ste´phane Pouplard • Re´my Spitalie´ry • Arnaud Gre´goire
Received: 29 June 2012 / Revised: 11 September 2012 / Accepted: 15 November 2012 Ó Dt. Ornithologen-Gesellschaft e.V. 2012
Abstract The impact of nest-box characteristics (design, position, content) on decisions where to roost or nest have rarely been experimentally investigated. Older studies claimed that secondary cavity-exploiters, such as tits (Paridae), prefer smaller boxes for roosting and larger boxes for breeding. Surprisingly, these aspects of box preference have to our knowledge not been examined in choice experiments. We therefore allowed free-ranging birds to use, as roosting or nesting sites, three box designs attached together on the same support, covering the range of box sizes used to attract Great (Parus major) or Blue (Cyanistes caeruleus) Tits in long-term investigations. We observed that medium-sized and large boxes contained disproportionally more avian excrements before nesting than small boxes. The large boxes also contained disproportionally more body plumages prior to nesting and Great Tit nests. Nest-box size therefore influenced where
Communicated by T. Friedl. M. M. Lambrechts (&) V. Demeyrier C. Doutrelant P. Perret A. Gre´goire CEFE-CNRS UMR5175, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France e-mail: [email protected] M. Abouladze´ V. Faucon G. le Prado F. Lidon Parc Zoologique Lunaret, 50 avenue Agropolis, 34090 Montpellier, France M. Bonnet P. Pagano S. Pouplard R. Spitalie´ry Ville de Montpellier, Direction Paysage et Nature, 34000 Montpellier, France T. Noell A. Gre´goire Universite´ Montpellier 2, Place Euge`ne Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France
the birds roosted and nested. Potential costs and benefits of exploitation of boxes differing in size are briefly discussed. Keywords Roosting Cavity choice Nest boxes Parus major Great Tit Zusammenfassung Die Nistkastengro¨ße beeinflusst, wo Sekunda¨r-Ho¨hlenbru¨ter schlafen und bru¨ten: ein Wahlexperiment Der Einfluss von Nistkasten-Charakteristika (Design, Lage, Inhalt) auf die Entscheidungen eines Vogels bei der Schlafplatz- und Neststandortswahl wurde bisher kaum ¨ ltere Arbeiten behaupten, dass experimentell untersucht. A Sekunda¨r-Ho¨hlenbru¨ter wie etwas Meisen (Paridae) kleinere Ka¨sten zum Schlafen und gro¨ßere Ka¨sten fu¨r die Brut ¨ berraschenderweise wurden diese Aspekte bevorzugen. U der Nistkastenwahl unseres Wissens nach noch nicht in Wahlexperimenten untersucht. Wir gaben daher Wildvo¨geln die Mo¨glichkeit, drei verschiedene Nistkastenvarianten, die das in Langzeitstudien an Kohl- (Parus major) und Blaumeisen (Cyanistes caeruleus) verwendete Gro¨ßenspektrum abdeckten, und die wir jeweils zusammen an e
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