Nestbox Design Influences Territory Occupancy and Reproduction in a Declining, Secondary Cavity-Breeding Bird

[摘要] Nestboxesareapopularmeasuretosupportpopulationsofendangeredsecondary-cavitybreedingbirds.Yet,studiesoftheimpactofnestboxabundanceanddesignonbirdbreedingecologyinintensivefarmlandremainscarce,WeexperimentallystudiednestboxpreferencesinaWryneckJynxtorquillapopulationinSWSwitzerland.InitiallydesignedforthelargerHoopoeUpupaepops,voluminousnestboxesinstalledat269locationswithinthestudyareawerecheckedforWryneckbreedingsince2002.In2008,weinstalledsmallersized,Wryneckcompatiblenestboxesat135locations(50%)randomlyselectedfromthese269locations.WerecordedthenestboxdesignpreferencesofWrynecks,andmeasuredreproductiveoutput,nestlingbodymassandtarsuslength,whileassessingpatternsofintra-andinterspecificcompetition.Wryneckssettledinterritoriesequippedwiththemoresuitablydesignednestboxesmorethanexpectedbychanceandpreferentiallyusedthemforraisingtheirbroods.Thenumberoffledgedyoungdidnotdependonnestboxdesign,althoughnestlingswereslightlyheavierinthesmallernestboxes,probablyduetoreducedinterspecificcompetitionwithHoopoes.Thisstudyshowsthatinparticularterritoryattractivenesscanbeenhancedwhenartificialcavitieswithanappropriatedesignareprovided.Nestboxprovisioningisanefficientconservationmeasureforendangeredbirdspeciesbutattentionshouldbepaidtonestboxdesignwhichhastobetailoredtospecies-specificrequirements.

[学科分类] 动物科学

[关键词] Wryneck