Effects of Testosterone On Nest-Box Occupation and Associated Behaviours By Male European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris)

Behaviour ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 129 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 141-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eberhard Gwinner ◽  
Helga Gwinner
Keyword(s):  
Sturnus Vulgaris ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
The Other ◽  
First Year ◽  
General Increase ◽  
European Starlings ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Colonial Nesting ◽  
Nesting Habits

AbstractIn an aviary experiment carried out at the beginning of the breeding season in March and April, nest-box occupation and associated behaviours were observed in a group of 18 adult and 18 first-year male European starlings. Nine birds of each group carried a testosterone implant (T-males) and the other 9 an empty implant (C-males). When analyzed for effects of age, first year birds were significantly more active with regard to nest-box inspection and nest-building than adults. When analyzed for effects of treatment, T-males occupied more nest-boxes and visited their nest-boxes more often than C-males. Other activities like singing, nest-box inspection, nest-building and aggressive behaviour were not significantly different between T-males and C-males. We suggest that the absence of a significant effect of T on aggression may be related to the colonial nesting habits of the starling. Since T-males tended to be more active with regard to all behaviours studied testosterone may have led to a general increase in frequency and persistence of behaviour which in turn facilitated nest-box occupation.

scholarly journals Song Learning After Isolation in the Open-Ended Learner the European Starling: Dissociation of Imitation and Syntactic Development

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 968-976
Author(s):  
Martha Leah Chaiken ◽  
JÖRG BÖHNER
Keyword(s):  
Adult Male ◽  
Sturnus Vulgaris ◽  
European Starling ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
European Starlings ◽  
Wild Male ◽  
Syntactic Development

Abstract We performed two studies to test whether the ability of open-ended learners to acquire new songs as adults depends on their having learned normal songs as juveniles. European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were kept in isolation for their first year. In the first study the birds were housed in a group with a wild-caught adult male following isolation. The subjects imitated each other but not the wild male and failed to develop normal phonology or syntax. In the second study each yearling was housed individually with a wild-caught adult male following isolation. These subjects developed good phonology and syntax but copied few or no song motifs from the wild adults. Taken together, the two studies indicate that starlings are capable of imitating new motifs and of acquiring species-typical phonology and syntax after a year of isolation. The contrasting results of the two studies suggest that imitation and the development of syntax are independent processes subject to different influences.

scholarly journals Predator scent and visual cue applied to nest boxes fail to dissuade European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) from nesting

2020 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Bradley F. Blackwell ◽  
Thomas W. Seamans ◽  
Morgan B. Pfeiffer ◽  
Bruce N. Buckingham
Keyword(s):  
Sturnus Vulgaris ◽  
European Starlings ◽  
Visual Cue ◽  
Nest Boxes

scholarly journals Short- and Long-Term Effects of Male-Like Concentrations of Testosterone on Female European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris)

The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elke De Ridder ◽  
Rianne Pinxten ◽  
Veerle Mees ◽  
Marcel Eens
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sturnus Vulgaris ◽  
Buffy Coat ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
European Starlings ◽  
Immunological Parameters ◽  
Mate Attraction ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Indirect Measures ◽  
Organizational Effects

Abstract European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) exhibit marked sex differences in behavior during spring. Song activity, nest-box occupation, the carrying of green nesting materials into a nest hole (typical mate-attraction behaviors), and aggression occur much more frequently in males who also have higher testosterone (T)-levels than females. Here, we examined whether male-like concentrations of T would activate these behaviors in female starlings. We treated females with implants that were either empty (C-females) or packed with T (T-females) during late December. Although elevated T-levels significantly increased song activity in females, the proportion of time spent singing was still much lower than in males. T-treatment in females also failed to induce singing behavior in the nest box, a typical male mate-attraction behavior. Those results suggest both activational and organizational effects of T on singing. Nest-box occupation, carrying of green nesting material into a nest hole, and aggressive behavior were not activated by elevated T-levels, indicating that sex differences in these behaviors are probably based on early organizational effects of steroid hormones. We also evaluated effects of increased T-concentrations on some physiological, morphological, and immunological parameters. T-treatment strongly suppressed tail feather regrowth after experimental plucking, and also delayed onset of molt of wing feathers and slowed its progress. T-implantation caused color of the bill to change from black to yellow, but did not affect body mass. Immune function was determined by using two indirect measures: blood composition (haematocrit and buffy coat values) and indications of infections. Although haematocrit and buffy coat values did not differ between C- and T-females, T-females were significantly more infected with Staphylococcus aureus than C-females at the end of the experiment.

FLEAS (SIPHONAPTERA: CERATOPHYLLIDAE) FROM NESTS OF WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS (ZONOTRICHIA LEUCOPHRYS) IN SOUTHWESTERN ALBERTA, CANADA

1995 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Chilton ◽  
Terry D. Galloway
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
The Other ◽  
Zonotrichia Leucophrys ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
Colonial Nesting ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Nest Habitat ◽  
Breeding Attempt ◽  
Nesting Habits ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Fleas (Siphonaptera: notably species of Ceratophyllidae) parasitize many species of birds. Although adult fleas rely on the birds as their principal means of dispersal, they are not commonly collected on the host itself. Most of these fleas spend the greatest portion of their life cycle in or near the host's nest. Colonial nesting habits facilitate transfer of fleas among hosts (Hoogland and Sherman 1976), and reuse of nests or nesting cavities in successive breeding seasons enhances transmission from one generation to the next (Hopla and Loye 1983). This stability of nest habitat and reliability of host presence favours fleas that are truly nest-bound. On the other hand, birds that defend exclusive breeding territories and construct new nests for each breeding attempt are usually host to vagabond, generalist species (Darskaya 1964).

The Function of Green Plants in Nests of European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris)

Behaviour ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 134 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 337-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helga Gwinner
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
European Starlings ◽  
Green Plants ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Egg Deposition ◽  
Nest Protection ◽  
Courtship Activity ◽  
Insecticidal Compounds

AbstractEuropean starlings add fresh green plants to their dry nest material. Male starlings of our 60-nest-box colony carried 68 different plant species into their nests. Some males were polygynous and had 3-6 clutches, others were monogynous and had 1-2 clutches per reproductive season. The 'nest protection hypothesis' proposes that insecticidal compounds in green plants reduce the parasite load of the nests. The 'courtship hypothesis' predicts that carrying nest greenery is a courtship activity to attract females. The aim of this study was to collect field data suitable for distinguishing these two hypotheses. 1. Some plant species occurred more often in the nest-boxes than expected from their frequency in the nest-box environment. A significant number of these preferred plants were rich in volatiles, some of which are said to be insecticidal. But volatiles could also attract females and/or influence their breeding activity and the chicks' development directly. 2. The males carried greenery into their nest boxes maximal around 5 days before the onset of laying, when pair formation took place, and ceased this behaviour with egg deposition. The total amount of greenery deposited in a nest-box was a function of the number of days of courtship a male needed to attract a female. 3. Polygynous males deposited the same amount of greenery in their first nest as monogynous males. In additional nests polygynous males deposited more greenery. However, this was due to the fact that these additional nests were advertised for a longer time.

scholarly journals Selenium Accumulation in European Starlings Nesting in a Selenium-Contaminated Environment

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 862-869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary M. Santolo
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Exposure ◽  
Sturnus Vulgaris ◽  
Positive Relationships ◽  
Surrounding Area ◽  
European Starlings ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Selenium Accumulation

Abstract I compared selenium (Se) levels in blood, liver, egg, and diet samples from European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) nesting at Kesterson Reservoir, Merced County, California and the surrounding area. Concentrations were highest in adult and nestling blood (8.3 and 5.5 µg g−1, respectively), nestling liver (7.5 µg g−1), and eggs (4.6 µg g−1) from nest boxes in interior parts of Kesterson compared to those from the perimeter (adult and nestling blood  =  4.0 and 1.4 µg g−1, respectively, nestling liver  =  4.7 µg g−1, eggs  =  2.8 µg g−1) and off-site (nestling blood  =  3.8 µg g−1, liver  =  4.3 µg g−1, egg  =  2.7 µg g−1). No hatching failure or embryo effects were observed. Although I found strong positive relationships in Se levels among tissues and eggs, variability of dietary exposure and differences in depuration rates across tissues confounds prediction of Se concentration. Nevertheless, I found blood Se to be a good indicator of dietary exposure that can be sampled nondestructively.

scholarly journals Landscape Factors that Influence European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) Nest Box Occupancy at NASA Plum Brook Station (PBS), Erie County, Ohio, USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan B. Pfeiffer ◽  
Thomas W. Seamans ◽  
Bruce N. Buckingham ◽  
Bradley F. Blackwell
Keyword(s):  
Sturnus Vulgaris ◽  
European Starling ◽  
Erie County ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Tree Cavities ◽  
Nesting Sites ◽  
Landscape Factors ◽  
Anthropogenic Structures ◽  
Invertebrate Pests

During the last decade at NASA Plum Brook Station (PBS), Erie County, Ohio, United States, there has been a nearly 50% decrease in European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) occupancy (nests with ≥1 egg) of nest boxes designed to be used by starlings. Increased availability of natural cavities, from invertebrate pests, might have altered nest box occupation rates. It was hypothesized that starling nest box occupation rates would be a function of an index of potentially suitable tree cavities for nesting starlings, the semi-colonial nature of breeding starlings, and access to foraging areas (e.g., mowed lawns near buildings). Specifically, it was predicted that starling occupancy of nest boxes would correlate positively with a low density of potentially suitable tree cavities (calculated from a constructed index based on characteristics preferred by nesting starlings), and proximity of other starling occupied nest boxes and anthropogenic structures or mowed lawns. The objective was to quantify landscape factors around nest boxes with known starling occupation rates. Potentially suitable tree cavities were readily available near nest boxes. However, starling nest box occupation was instead a function of proximity to buildings, a factor associated with additional nesting sites and preferred foraging areas (mowed lawns). Nesting starlings in this study were influenced by anthropogenic structures and associated resources.

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