Possible Predation on Feathertail Gliders (Acrobates pygmaeus) by Agile Antechinus (Antechinus agilis).

1999 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
S.J. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Study ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Faecal Analysis ◽  
Entrance Hole ◽  
Antechinus Agilis ◽  
Small Forest

A series of observations of the remains of partially eaten feathertail gliders Acrobates pygmaeus and three other small forest vertebrates is reported. All were made while checking nest-boxes erected for an ecological study of A. pygmaeus, and each nest-box had a restricted entrance hole. The delicacy with which some of these animals had been killed and eaten and the small size of the entrances to the nest-boxes indicated a small- sized predator was responsible, and the most likely species in the area is the agile antechinus Antechinus agilis. These small dasyurid marsupials were also captured from the nest-boxes on several occasions. Based on faecal analysis, they had previously been considered almost totally insectivorous.

scholarly journals How big is best? Various nest box sizes and their acceptance by Muscardinus avellanarius (Rodentia: Gliridae)

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-42
Author(s):  
Carina Heberer ◽  
Bettina Koppmann-Rumpf ◽  
Karl-Heinz Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Wood Mouse ◽  
Internal Space ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Entrance Hole ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Hazel Dormouse ◽  
Muscardinus Avellanarius

Abstract The hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) can be found in nest boxes intended for birds and dormice throughout its distributional range. To minimize competition with other potential nest box inhabitants such as the edible dormouse (Glis glis) and hole-nesting passerines like the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), we successfully tested nest boxes with a 21 mm entrance hole in previous studies. The only competing species still able to pass through the entrance hole were the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) and possibly the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis). To further optimize the nest boxes we tested whether their internal space might be important for selection by the hazel dormouse. Starting in 2015, we set up groups of four wooden nest boxes varying in base area (50×50 mm, 60×60 mm, 70×70 mm and 80×80 mm, respectively) with 21 mm entrance holes. The nest boxes were placed in an identical array at 15 stations spaced at intervals of 30 m along a hedgerow. By doing regular nest box checks and documenting all species found we investigated which nest box types were used most often by the hazel dormouse in order to detect possible preferences. So far, the data show a more intensive use of the nest boxes that provided the largest internal space, i.e. 80×80 mm.

scholarly journals Keeping Africanized Honey Bees Out of Wildlife Nest Boxes

EDIS ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Kern, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Africanized Honey Bees ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Africanized Honey Bee ◽  
Fact Sheet ◽  
Nest Boxes

ENY-838, a 4-page illustrated fact sheet by William H. Kern, Jr., provides useful information for keeping pests out of bird and mammal nest boxes, especially the Africanized honey bee, which has become established in Florida, and sets up colonies in smaller and lower locations which may displace wildlife that uses these locations as dens. Includes recommendations, what to do if bees have invaded your nest box, and references. Published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, January 2007. ENY-838/IN682: Keeping Africanized Honey Bees Out of Wildlife Nest Boxes (ufl.edu)

Nest box contentions: Are nest boxes used by the species they target?

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
David Rohweder ◽  
Brendan D. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes

scholarly journals Sex-Related Natal Dispersal of Pied Flycatchers: How Far Away From Home?

The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 711-717
Author(s):  
Nikita Chernetsov ◽  
Leonid V. Sokolov ◽  
Vladislav Kosarev ◽  
Dmitry Leoke ◽  
Mikhail Markovets ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Distribution ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Ficedula Hypoleuca ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Natal Dispersal ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Baltic Coast ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Dispersal Distances

Abstract Over four years, nestling Pied Flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) were banded and recaptured in nest boxes at a 44 km long and 1–1.5 km wide study area along the Courish Spit on the southeast Baltic coast. The return rate for males was nearly twice as high as for females. Males settled significantly closer to their natal sites than predicted by the null model, which assumed that any nest box in the study area was selected at random. For females, the frequency distribution of natal dispersal distances was not significantly different from that predicted by the null model. The difference in average dispersal distance between the sexes was highly significant. Although some individuals settled within tens of kilometers, most male Pied Flycatchers settled within several kilometers of their natal sites. We suggest that even if females settle on average farther from their natal sites than males do, both sexes imprint on a relatively small (several kilometers in diameter) area during postfledging exploration, to which they return each spring.

Twilight transitions promote circadian entrainment to lengthening light-dark cycles

1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (3) ◽  
pp. R813-R818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Boulos ◽  
M. Macchi ◽  
M. Terman
Keyword(s):  
Activity Rhythm ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Circadian Activity ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Circadian Activity Rhythm ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Upper Limit ◽  
Upper Limits

The upper limits of entrainment of the circadian activity rhythm were compared in hamsters initially exposed to daily light-dark (LD) cycles with either abrupt (LD-rectangular) or simulated twilight (LD-twilight) transitions. Daytime illuminance (10 lx) and the total amount of light emitted per day were the same under the two LD cycles. One-half of the animals in each condition had access to dark nest boxes. The period of the LD cycles was then increased from 24 to 26 h, by 5 min per day. All animals in LD-twilight remained entrained to the lengthening cycle, whereas 60% of those in LD-rectangular began to free run well before the period of the cycle reached 26 h. These effects were independent of nest box availability. The lengthening LD cycles exerted clear aftereffects on the period of the rhythms in constant darkness, the magnitude of which was related to the efficacy of prior entrainment. The results indicate that twilight transitions raise the upper limit of entrainment to LD cycles, suggesting that their inclusion increases the strength of the LD zeitgeber.

scholarly journals A UHF RFID System for Studying Individual Feeding and Nesting Behaviors of Group-Housed Laying Hens

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 1337-1347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lihua Li ◽  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Jofran Oliveira ◽  
Wilco Verhoijsen ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Uhf Rfid ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Rfid System ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Nesting Behaviors

Abstract. Enriched colony housing (ECH) is a relatively new egg production system. As such, information is lacking on design parameters to ensure the well-being of the hens and optimal utilization of housing resources. A new system has been developed at Iowa State University that enables automated monitoring and quantification of feeding and nesting behaviors of individual hens in ECH. Ultra-high-frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID) is employed to track individual animals. The UHF RFID system consists of four components: antennas, tags, readers, and a data acquisition system. The antennas for monitoring feeding behavior are placed inside the two feed troughs and covered with plastic boards. Each feed trough has six antennas aligned in series covering the length of the feeder. Four additional antennas are placed inside the nest boxes to monitor the nesting behaviors. All 16 antennas are connected to five 4-channel readers, two per feed trough and one for the nest boxes, that are further connected to the hosting computer via Ethernet. Feed and water consumption and egg production are continuously monitored using load cells. This article describes the development and testing of the RFID system for monitoring feeding and nesting behaviors and provides sample data. The system has proven to be able to characterize benchmark feeding and nesting behaviors of individual hens in ECH, such as daily time spent at the feeder and in the nest box, daily frequency of visiting the feeder and the nest box, number of hens feeding and nesting simultaneously, and variability in these behaviors among individual hens. Future applications of the system include assessing the impact of resource allocation and management practices on feeding and nesting behaviors and on the well-being of the hens. This information will provide a scientific basis for optimal design and management of alternative hen housing systems. Keywords: Animal well-being, Enriched colony housing, Feeding behavior, Nesting behavior, UHF RFID.

Do feathertail gliders show a preference for nest box design?

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
Matthew J. Grimson ◽  
Geoffrey C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Local Populations ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
North East ◽  
Tree Hollows ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eucalypt Plantations ◽  
Arboreal Marsupials ◽  
Breeding Groups

Although nest boxes have considerable application in the research and management of hollow-using arboreal marsupials, few studies have assessed whether species show a preference for particular nest box designs. This study aimed to determine whether the feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) showed a preference when offered four different designs, each of which had been used in earlier studies. We established one of each design in 45 plots across five locations, spanning north-east New South Wales and south-east Queensland. Feathertail gliders used 34 nest boxes at four locations but avoided a medium-sized rear-entry box with a 45-mm-diameter entrance. No clear preference was shown for three designs with narrow (≤25 mm) entrances. Feathertail gliders used 15 small rear-entry boxes, 10 large slit-entrance boxes and 9 wedge-shaped bat boxes. A slight preference was shown by breeding groups to occur in the non-wedge boxes compared with the wedge boxes. Squirrel gliders (Petaurus norfolcensis) used 51% of medium rear-entry boxes at four locations. This may account for the avoidance of this box design by feathertail gliders at these locations. Breeding and prolonged use of nest boxes by resident feathertail gliders and squirrel gliders at two locations in eucalypt plantations suggest that nest boxes can support local populations of arboreal marsupials where tree hollows are absent or scarce.

Are nest boxes a viable alternative source of cavities for hollow-dependent animals? Long-term monitoring of nest box occupancy, pest use and attrition

2009 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Lindenmayer ◽  
Alan Welsh ◽  
Christine Donnelly ◽  
Mason Crane ◽  
Damian Michael ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viable Alternative ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

A role for nest boxes in the conservation of Leadbeater's possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri)

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan K. P. Harley
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Swamp Forest ◽  
Considerable Potential ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Substantial Decline ◽  
Leadbeater's Possum

A combination of fires and logging mean that more than 80% of the montane ash forests inhabited by Leadbeater’s possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) in the Victorian Central Highlands consist of ecologically young stands possessing few trees with hollows. As a consequence, there have been predictions of a substantial decline in Leadbeater’s possum populations over the next 40 years. If this is to be averted, or reduced in extent, then an immediate means of increasing den site availability for the species is required. The results of a recent investigation into nest-box use by the species in lowland swamp forest demonstrate that high rates of occupancy can be achieved by targeting established colonies at sites where the vegetation structure is suitable for box installation. This suggests that nest boxes can be an effective means of increasing den-site availability for the possum, and therefore have considerable potential to contribute to the species’ conservation in the short term. Such measures should be applied in conjunction with altered forestry practises that better provide for the retention and future provision of mature hollow-bearing trees.

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