Occupation rates of artificial nest boxes by secondary cavity-nesting birds: the influence of nest site characteristics

2021 ◽  
pp. 126045
Author(s):  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Luming Bai ◽  
Juan Wang ◽  
Dongmei Wan ◽  
Wei Liang
Keyword(s):  
Nest Site ◽  
Artificial Nest ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Artificial Nest Boxes

Effects of urbanization and nest box design on reproduction vary by species in three cavity-nesting passerines in the Okanagan Valley

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Dale ◽  
Matthew W Reudink ◽  
Laurene M Ratcliffe ◽  
Ann E McKellar
Keyword(s):  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Artificial Nest ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Western Bluebirds ◽  
Mountain Bluebirds ◽  
Artificial Nest Boxes ◽  
Okanagan Valley

Artificial nest boxes provide an important resource for secondary cavity-nesting passerines, whose populations may be limited by the availability of nesting sites. However, previous studies have demonstrated that the design and placement of boxes may affect the reproductive success of the birds that use them. In this study, we asked whether the habitat surrounding a nest box or the type of box influenced reproduction in three cavity-nesting passerines. We studied western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana Swainson, 1832), mountain bluebirds (S. currucoides Bechstein, 1798), and tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor Vieillot, 1808) breeding in artificial nest boxes at sites across 70 km of the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Sites varied in their degree of urbanization, from relatively undisturbed ranchland, to cultivated vineyards, to frequently disturbed ‘suburban’ habitat, and boxes varied in type of entrance (slot or hole). Western bluebirds nested earlier in vineyards, and tree swallows produced significantly fewer fledglings in suburban habitat. In addition, tree swallows nested earlier and produced more fledglings in slot boxes. Our results suggest that conservation actions for cavity-nesting passerines may depend on the target species, which in turn should dictate the appropriate box type and habitat when erecting or replacing nest boxes.

Use of Tree Hollows by Two Sympatric Gliding Possums, The Squirrel Glider, Petaurus norfolcensis and The Sugar Glider, P. breviceps.

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
B.J. Traill ◽  
A. Lill
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Nest ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Tree Hollows ◽  
Sugar Glider ◽  
Squirrel Glider ◽  
Petaurus Breviceps ◽  
Artificial Nest Boxes

Populations of the Squirrel Glider, Petaurus norfolcensis and the Sugar Glider, P. breviceps, are often sympatric and the two species are potential competitors for tree hollows. Their use of hollows and artificial nest-boxes was examined in a Box-Ironbark forest where natural hollows are scarce due to past forestry practices. We found gliders used hollows in the boles and branches of trees and in coppicing stumps. There was considerable interspecific overlap in the use of hollows and nest-boxes, both by gliders and other birds and mammals. Both gliders preferred hollows and nest-boxes with narrow entrances (<50 mm diameter). Petaurus breviceps preferred nest-boxes and possibly natural tree hollows with entrances too narrow for the larger P. norfolcensis. When abundant nest-boxes of this type were introduced at the study site, P. breviceps numbers increased and then decreased when the nest-boxes were removed. The results suggest that the larger P. norfolcensis monopolise the best available hollows. Petaurus breviceps numbers may have been limited by a lack of suitable hollows.

scholarly journals Nest site characteristics of cavity-nesting birds on a small island, in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
pp. 352-363
Author(s):  
Neil G. Pilgrim ◽  
Joanna L. Smith ◽  
Keith Moore ◽  
Anthony J. Gaston
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Haida Gwaii ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Brown Creeper

Many studies of cavity-nesting birds in North America are conducted in large continental forests and much less is known about them in island ecosystems. We describe a 29-year study of tree species, nest site characteristics, and fledge dates of cavity-nesting birds on a small island in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia (BC). Seven cavity-nesting bird species were documented on East Limestone Island and 463 nests were found in 173 different trees. Nest trees were significantly taller and had a greater diameter than a random sample of snags. Tree height did not differ among bird species but diameter at breast height was larger for trees used by Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) than for other species. Cavity-nesters selected tree decay classes 2–7 (all dead/near dead [snags]), with 85% in decay class 4 (35%) or 5 (50%), similar to the random snag sample (class 4, 32%; class 5, 42%). Cavity height ranged from 2.6 to 44.9 m and for all species, except Brown Creeper, the mean nest height was >60% of the mean tree height. Nest heights were generally greater than observed elsewhere in BC. Nest cavity orientation was random except for Red-breasted Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus ruber), for which only 13% of the cavity entrances faced southeast. Median fledging dates ranged from 7 June (Chestnut-backed Chickadee [Poecile rufescens]) to 28 June (Northern Flicker [Colaptes auratus]). Estimated median dates of clutch completion were similar for all species. Our results show that large snags provide habitat for a high diversity of cavity-nesting birds on Haida Gwaii.

Use of Artificial Nest Boxes by Abert's Squirrels

1978 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan C. Pederson ◽  
Albert W. Heggen
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Nest ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Artificial Nest Boxes

The main nest predators of birds breeding in artificial nest-boxes and its influencing factors

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
张雷 ZHANG Lei ◽  
李东来 LI Donglai ◽  
马锐强 MA Ruiqiang ◽  
奚长海 XI Changhai ◽  
万冬梅 WAN Dongmei
Keyword(s):  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Artificial Nest ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Artificial Nest Boxes ◽  
Nest Predators

scholarly journals Individual Nest Site Preferences Do Not Explain Upslope Population Shifts of a Secondary Cavity-Nesting Species

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2457
Author(s):  
Elisa J. Abeyta ◽  
Andrew W. Bartlow ◽  
Charles D. Hathcock ◽  
Jeanne M. Fair
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Nesting Behavior ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Site Preferences ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Sialia Mexicana ◽  
Large Nest ◽  
Nest Site Preferences

Geographic ranges of plants and animals are shifting due to environmental change. While some species are shifting towards the poles and upslope in elevation, the processes leading to these patterns are not well known. We analyzed 22 years of western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) data from a large nest box network in northern New Mexico at elevations between 1860 m and 2750 m. This population has shifted to higher elevations over time, but whether this is due to changes in nesting behavior and preference for higher elevation within the population or driven by immigration is unclear. We banded adults and nestlings from nest boxes and examined nesting location and elevation for individual birds captured two or more times. Most recaptured birds nested at the same nest boxes in subsequent years, and the number of birds that moved upslope did not significantly differ from the number that moved downslope. Fledglings moved greater distances and elevations than adults, but these movements were not upslope specific. Female fledglings showed greater changes in elevation and distance compared to male fledglings, but again, movements were not consistently upslope. The upslope shift in this population may be due to birds immigrating into the population and not from changes in individual nesting behavior.

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