scholarly journals A higher incidence of moult–breeding overlap in great tits across time is linked to an increased frequency of second clutches: a possible effect of global warming?

2021 ◽  
pp. 303-315
Author(s):  
I. Solís ◽  
J. J. Sanz ◽  
L. Imba ◽  
E. Álvarez ◽  
E. Barba
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Temporal Trend ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Breeding Birds ◽  
The Other ◽  
First Year ◽  
Start Date

The rise of temperatures due to global warming is related to a lengthening of the breeding season in many bird species. This allows more pairs to attempt two clutches within the breeding season, thus finishing their breeding activity later in the season and therefore potentially overlapping these with post–breeding moult. We tested whether this occurred in two Spanish great tit Parus major populations. The proportion of pairs laying second clutches increased from 1 % to 32 % over the study period in one of the populations (Sagunto, 1995–2019), while it did not change in the other (Quintos, 2006–2019; mean 5 %). We did not find any temporal trend for moult start date of late–breeding birds in any population. The proportion of individuals of both sexes that overlapped moult and breeding increased in Sagunto. For this latter population, sex and age, but not clutch type, contributed to the variability in the probability of overlapping in late–breeding individuals, this being higher for first–year males and lower for older females.

scholarly journals Recent natural variability in global warming weakened phenological mismatch and selection on seasonal timing in great tits ( Parus major )

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1963) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel E. Visser ◽  
Melanie Lindner ◽  
Phillip Gienapp ◽  
Matthew C. Long ◽  
Stephanie Jenouvrier
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Natural Climate Variability ◽  
Seasonal Timing ◽  
Phenological Mismatch ◽  
Natural Climate

Climate change has led to phenological shifts in many species, but with large variation in magnitude among species and trophic levels. The poster child example of the resulting phenological mismatches between the phenology of predators and their prey is the great tit ( Parus major ), where this mismatch led to directional selection for earlier seasonal breeding. Natural climate variability can obscure the impacts of climate change over certain periods, weakening phenological mismatching and selection. Here, we show that selection on seasonal timing indeed weakened significantly over the past two decades as increases in late spring temperatures have slowed down. Consequently, there has been no further advancement in the date of peak caterpillar food abundance, while great tit phenology has continued to advance, thereby weakening the phenological mismatch. We thus show that the relationships between temperature, phenologies of prey and predator, and selection on predator phenology are robust, also in times of a slowdown of warming. Using projected temperatures from a large ensemble of climate simulations that take natural climate variability into account, we show that prey phenology is again projected to advance faster than great tit phenology in the coming decades, and therefore that long-term global warming will intensify phenological mismatches.

Interactive Behaviour of Puffins (Fratercula Arctica L.) and Skuas (Stercorari Us Parasiticus L.)

Behaviour ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 40 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 263-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.R. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Breeding Birds ◽  
The Other ◽  
Breeding Colony ◽  
Fratercula Arctica ◽  
Food Fish ◽  
Interactive Behaviour ◽  
The Way

AbstractPuffins fly to their burrows with food (fish) in their beaks for the single chick they raise. Skuas chase puffins and induce them to drop their food. If the skuas do not catch the falling food before it reaches the ground gulls drive the skuas away from the food and secure it for themselves. These interactions were studied quantitatively for two weeks at a breeding colony of puffins at Vik on the mainland of Iceland. The only conspicuous response of the puffins to the skuas was one of avoidance at the end of the breeding season when the frequency of arrival of breeding puffins at the colony was low; the puffins turned around in flight and flew back towards the sea. Some of the characteristics of chases which ended with food being released by the puffins were identified. Chases involving more than one skua tended to be more successful (i.e. food released) than those with one skua. Chases of puffins away from the colony were more successful than those towards the colony. Chases of incoming puffins were more successful when initiated far from the colony than when initiated close to it. Low flying puffins appeared to be chased preferentially. From these observations some idea can be gained of the way in which selection acts upon the puffins and skuas. For the skua there appear to be optimal positions from which to start chasing a food-carrying puffin, and selection acts against those skuas which choose incorrect positions and gain no reward after expending much energy in a chase. For the puffin there is a selective advantage when returning to the colony with food for the chick in flocking with non-breeding birds without food. This stratagem maximizes the difficulties of the skua detecting a food-carrying puffin early enough to start a chase with a chance of success. Late breeding by the puffin is selected against because, when the other parents have left the colony, it is comparatively easy for a skua to identify and successfully attack a food-carrying puffin. The difficulties of avoiding a chase by a skua under these conditions are reduced if the puffin delays its final flight to the colony until the skuas are either absent or 'out of position'. Selection acts against those puffins which do not take this avoiding action.

scholarly journals Species composition and number of breeding birds in urban parks in Novi Sad

2010 ◽  
pp. 143-149
Author(s):  
Marko Tucakov
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Breeding Birds ◽  
Breeding Density ◽  
Tree Sparrow ◽  
Passer Montanus ◽  
Novi Sad ◽  
Sørensen Index

Numbers of breeding pairs of breeding birds and breeding density are established by territory mapping in Limanski (12.9 ha), Futoski (8.26 ha), and Dunavski (3.9 ha) Parks in Novi Sad from early March to late June 2007. In Limanski Park 11 species of breeders were found, the most numerous being tree sparrow (Passer montanus). Futoski Park had 15 breeders and the most numerous were great tit (Parus major). The smallest number of species (9) bred in Dunavski Park, with great tit as the most common breeder. The greatest density of breeding pairs was recorded in the largest park (37.7 pairs/km2). Hole-breeders dominated in Futoski and Dunavski Park, but their number was the same as the number of canopy-breeders in Limanski Park. Measured with Sorensen index of similarity, the greatest similarity was found between breeding avifauna of Futoski and Dunavski Park (72), then between Futoski and Limanski (61), while the smallest similarity was found if we compare breeding avifauna of Dunavski and Limanski Park. Compared with breeding avifauna in other parks in Central Europe, breeding avifauna of Novi Sad parks is relatively poor.

scholarly journals Naseljavanje velike sjenice (Parus major L.) u mlade bjelogorične sastojine pomoću škrinjica za gniježđenje

2019 ◽  
Vol 143 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 352-352
Author(s):  
Zdravko Dolenec
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Wood Decay ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
High Position ◽  
Cavity Nesters ◽  
Exotic Tree ◽  
Tree Cavity

Conservation of the biodiversity of the forest ecosystems is becoming one of the priority issues in the forest management. Birds play an important role in the overall life of the forest ecosystem, for instance, as an important component of the trophic chains. Recent studies worldwide suggest decline in the population size and richness of the forest bird species, especially those nesting in the cavity of the forest trees. Special emphasis is placed on the secondary cavity nesters. In contrast to the primary cavity excavators, which are making a tree cavity by themselves, secondary cavity nesters for their nesting use cavities made by the primary cavity excavators or natural cavities formed by gradual wood decay process. In order to maintain bird diversity in the forests with a lack of nesting cavities, installation of the nestboxes is an important strategy in many countries. This applies mainly to young deciduous, coniferous stands, and monocultural plantations and areas afforested with exotic tree species. In this paper, occupation of the nestboxes in the young deciduous stands was investigated. According to some researchers, the colour of the nestbox and its height above the ground could be important factors of the nestbox occupation in some bird species. In this study, a total of 120 standard wooden nestboxes were used (60 green and 60 brown). Nestboxes were installed in pairs on a single tree, at a height of 4.0 to 4.5 m (“high” position) and 2.0 to 2.5 m (“low” position). On the first tree, the green nestbox was in the “high” position, on the next tree in the “low” position and so on. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of occupancy of the nestboxes with a respect to the colour and the position on the tree. Because of the intra- and interspecific competition, only one of the nestbox pair was inhabited. Of the total 60 nestbox pairs, 44 (73.3%) nestboxes were occupied; 35 (79, 5%) by a Great Tit (Parus major) and 9 (20.5%) by a Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). Great Tits occupied mainly “green” nestboxes (88.6%), with no significant differences in the height position of the chosen nestbox. In conclusion, the colour of the nestboxes is more important factor than the height position on the tree during the occupation of the nestboxes by a Great Tit.

scholarly journals Exploring the unmapped DNA and RNA reads in a songbird genome

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika N. Laine ◽  
Toni I. Gossmann ◽  
Kees van Oers ◽  
Marcel E. Visser ◽  
Martien A.M. Groenen
Keyword(s):  
Reference Genome ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Biological Information ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Sequence Contigs ◽  
Unmapped Reads

AbstractBackgroundA widely used approach in next-generation sequencing projects is the alignment of reads to a reference genome. A significant percentage of reads, however, frequently remain unmapped despite improvements in the methods and hardware, which have enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of alignments. Usually unmapped reads are discarded from the analysis process, but significant biological information and insights can be uncovered from this data. We explored the unmapped DNA (normal and bisulfite treated) and RNA sequence reads of the great tit (Parus major) reference genome individual. From the unmapped reads we generated de novo assemblies. The generated sequence contigs were then aligned to the NCBI non-redundant nucleotide database using BLAST, identifying the closest known matching sequence.ResultsMany of the aligned contigs showed sequence similarity to sequences from different bird species and genes that were absent in the great tit reference assembly. Furthermore, there were also contigs that represented known P. major pathogenic species. Most interesting were several species of blood parasites such as Plasmodium and Trypanosoma.ConclusionsOur analyses revealed that meaningful biological information can be found when further exploring unmapped reads. It is possible to discover sequences that are either absent or misassembled in the reference genome and sequences that indicate infection or sample contamination. In this study we also propose strategies to aid the capture and interpretation of this information from unmapped reads.

scholarly journals Using nest-boxes in pine stands of the Augustów Forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-143
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Zawadzki ◽  
Jerzy Zawadzki ◽  
Dorota Zawadzka ◽  
Anna Sołtys
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Coal Tit ◽  
Constant Rate ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Pine Stands ◽  
Dendrocopos Major

Abstract In 2011–2014, the occupancy of nest-boxes by secondary hole-nesting birds and their breeding success was investigated in pine stands of the Augustów Forest (North-Eastern Poland). In the studied area of 12600 ha, the share of Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris L. in the stands was 92%. On average, birds occupied 54% and bats 3% of the 224–317 nest boxes controlled yearly. Nest boxes were also used by the Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum L. as food caches. In total, broods of nine secondary hole-nesting species were observed, but only four bird species nested in each year of study. The most numerous species, occupying 53–60% of all boxes each year was the Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca Pall. The Great Tit Parus major L. occupied 15–24% and the Coal Tit Periparus ater L. 10–12% of available nest-boxes, while the Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus L. used 2–7% of nest boxes. The yearly breeding success was highest for tits (Great Tit – 52–84%, Coal Tit – 50–72%) and strongly variable for the Pied Flycatchers – 38–78%. Broods were lost due to predation by martens Martes sp. (38%) and great spotted woodpeckers Dendrocopos major L. (6%) as well as nest competition (2%). The nest-boxes were occupied at a constant rate during the following four years after their exposition. Over 67% of the new nest-boxes were occupied annually which means new nest-boxes (up to 4 years) were occupied significantly more often than boxes older than 4 years.

Within and between population variations of incubation rhythm of great tits Parus major

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 151 (12-13) ◽  
pp. 1827-1845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Álvarez ◽  
Emilio Barba
Keyword(s):  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Central European ◽  
The North ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
First Time ◽  
Incubation Rhythm

Uniparental incubation frequently means that eggs remain unattended for periods where the incubating bird is foraging out of the nest. The determination of incubation rhythms (i.e., the length and temporal pattern of incubation sessions) and the factors which affect them are therefore important to understand life-history trade-offs. We described the incubation rhythm and its temporal variation of a southern European great tit Parus major population, and review previous studies to check for latitudinal trends. In the studied population, females were active (from first exit in the morning to last entrance in the evening) 12.5 h per day, performing incubation sessions (on-bouts) of 26 min and recesses (off-bouts) of 12 min. Thus, they were incubating around 67% of their active day, or 83% of the whole day. Attentiveness (% of time incubating) increased throughout the incubation period, due to shorter off-bouts. The active day was longer as the number of daylight hours increased. We show for the first time in a bird species that attentiveness was constant along a latitudinal gradient ranging from Norway to Spain. Females spend a higher proportion of the daylight hours out of the nest as latitude decreases, compensating incubation time during the longer nights. Off-bouts were shorter in central European populations, increasing towards the north and the south, while on-bouts showed no latitudinal variation.

Dawn Singing in the Great Tit (Parus Major): Mate Attraction, Mate Guarding, or Territorial Defence?

Behaviour ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 131 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 115-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Slagsvold ◽  
Glenn-Peter SÆTRE ◽  
Svein Dale
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Passerine Bird ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Resident Male ◽  
Conflicting Demands

AbstractIn a number of passerine bird species, mated males sing at dawn and this song activity peaks in the fertile period of the mate. We present the hypothesis that an important function of such dawn singing is to maintain the territory. We suggest that mate guarding and territorial defence are demanding and often mutually exclusive activities. Losing paternity is so costly that males give priority to mate guarding. Males therefore use the early morning period, before their mate emerges from the roost, to claim territory ownership. We report some preliminary tests of this hypothesis from a study of great tits (Parus major). Simulating male intrusion by a playback experiment showed that the resident male was more often absent from central parts of the territory, following the mate, during the periods of nest building and egg laying than during incubation. This supports the assumption of conflicting demands between mate following and territorial defence. From the hypothesis we expected males to spend effort in defending their territory as soon as they were free to do so. Consistent with this prediction, we found that male song activity was high before the mate left the nest at dawn, when she temporarily visited the nest during the day, and when she entered the nest to roost at night. A female removal experiment showed that unmated males, having no mate to guard, sang as much at dawn as mated males. Only one of the eight widowed males succeeded to replace their mate. We discuss some alternative functions of dawn singing in the great tit, such as attraction of own mate, a replacement mate, and extra-pair mates. We conclude that the hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, and song may serve multiple purposes.

scholarly journals Bird ringing report for Slovenia in 2017 and short overview of colour ringing in the period of 2012–2017

Acrocephalus ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (178-179) ◽  
pp. 129-163
Author(s):  
Al Vrezec ◽  
Dare Fekonja
Keyword(s):  
Rare Species ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Barn Swallow ◽  
Sylvia Atricapilla ◽  
Cygnus Olor ◽  
Mute Swans ◽  
Ljubljansko Barje

Abstract In 2017, the Slovenian bird ringing scheme concluded 90 years of continuous ringing in the country. In 2017, we collected data on 176 bird species. We ringed 79,886 birds of 164 species, recorded 177 recoveries of birds ringed in Slovenia and found abroad, 295 foreign recoveries in Slovenia and 2,209 local recoveries. The most ringed species were the Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla and Great Tit Parus major and, among pulli in the nest, the Great Tit, White Stork Ciconia ciconia and Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica. In 2017, 12 colour ringing schemes were active in Slovenia. In the 2012-2017 period, the number of recoveries of birds ringed in Slovenia and found abroad increased significantly due to colour ringing, especially regarding the waterbirds. With colour ringing, the likelihood of recoveries is considerably greater (75.20 ± 91.36 recoveries per 100 ringed birds) than with metal ringing only (0.11 ± 0.08 recoveries per 100 ringed birds). Among local recoveries, the most frequent were the Mute Swans Cygnus olor and Common Terns Sterna hirundo, and among foreign recoveries the Black-headed Gulls Chroicocephalus ridibundus predominated. In 2017, the first Broad-billed Sandpiper Calidris falcinellus was ringed in Slovenia (Sečovlje salinas), and additional three rare species were ringed as well: the Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus (Ljubljansko barje), Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola (Ljubljansko barje) and Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla (Šentrupert).

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