Article
Forestry
Sophia Hochrein, Oliver Mitesser, Andrew M. Liebhold, Wolfgang W. Weisser, Benjamin M. L. Leroy, Hans Pretzsch, Torben Hilmers, Dominik Rabl, Joerg Mueller
Summary: This study investigated the effects of pest control activities on cavity nesting bird nest boxes. While the density of L. dispar decreased, it had no effect on early broods but had a negative impact on late broods. This impact may be due to increased parental effort from birds in response to caterpillar shortages during the first brood, resulting in a reduced number of second broods.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Tore Slagsvold, Karen L. Wiebe
Summary: The research suggests that secondary cavity-nesting birds cover their eggs to prevent nest usurpation by other birds. When the cavity is dark, potential competitors may hesitate to enter due to difficulty in seeing whether a defending nest owner or predator is inside, supporting this hypothesis.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jinmei Liu, Fangfang Zhang, Xuan Zhang, Wei Liang
Summary: A recent study found that some secondary cavity-nesting birds cover their eggs with nest material during their foraging period. This egg-covering behavior helps regulate nest temperature and prevent predation or parasitism. The study set up nest boxes with different treatments to test the hypothesis that egg covering prevents nest usurpation. The results showed that nest boxes with moss covering had the lowest egg predation rates, suggesting that egg-covering behavior delays the entry of competitors and accelerates the departure of encroachers from the nest.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Jeffrey R. Walters
Summary: This study provides compelling empirical evidence that cavities created by woodpeckers specifically limit populations of hole-nesting bird species. The findings are significant for understanding the availability of cavities in avian community ecology.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mickael Henry, Pierre-Jules Berrou, Sarah Bourdon, Laurent Guilbaud, Bernard E. Vaissiere
Summary: Artificial nest boxes made of concrete are suitable for cavity-nesting bees and can attract reproductive females and support their larval development. The design and placement of nest boxes, including hole dimensions, orientation, and neighboring habitats, are important factors for their attractivity and colonization success.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jennifer Morinay, Federico De Pascalis, Davide M. Dominoni, Michelangelo Morganti, Francesco Pezzo, Simone Pirrello, Matteo Visceglia, Enrico L. De Capua, Jacopo G. Cecere, Diego Rubolini
Summary: Individuals can use social information and comfort seeking to select breeding sites, with the preference for soft substrates influenced by both factors. The settlement patterns of individuals in the experiment suggest that early birds may benefit from social information while late arrivals may be avoiding intraspecific competition. Competitive abilities and experience may also play a role in nest site choices.
Article
Forestry
Dejan Stojanovic, Laura Rayner, Mclean Cobden, Chris Davey, Stuart Harris, Robert Heinsohn, Giselle Owens, Adrian D. Manning
Summary: The superb parrots are selective in choosing nesting trees and cavities, preferring deeper, wider, and larger entrance cavities. Suitable cavities for them are very scarce, which may limit the population growth and recovery of superb parrots.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Alison Ke, Evaristo Cedeno, Jordan Karubian, Luis Carrasco, Fernando Castillo, Nelson Gonzales, Daniel S. Karp
Summary: Most studies on biodiversity in natural and human-modified landscapes focus on species occurrence and abundance, but overlook the impact of habitat types on species' breeding requirements. This study examines the effects of habitat conversion on cavity-nesting birds in Northwest Ecuador, finding evidence of cavity limitation in agriculture and suggesting the importance of retaining remnant trees and using nest boxes as conservation strategies in tropical agriculture.
Article
Entomology
Jay A. Rosenheim
Summary: This study examined the nest provisioning behavior of solitary ground-nesting wasp Ammophila dysmica, finding that provisioning is influenced by factors such as caterpillar size, offspring sex, hunting time, female oocyte load, and nest parasites. The presence of parasites significantly impacted the likelihood of the wasp adding a second caterpillar to the nest, while oocyte inventory across females was relatively stable.
ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lei Zhang, Luming Bai, Juan Wang, Dongmei Wan, Wei Liang
Summary: The study found that the occupation rates of nest boxes were positively correlated with nest box height, openness, and the proportion of conifers. Nest boxes hanging on conifer trees were more likely to be occupied compared to those on deciduous trees and wooden telegraph poles, especially in woodland with a higher ratio of conifers and open space in front of the nest.
JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Benjamin R. Sonnenberg, Carrie L. Branch, Angela M. Pitera, Lauren M. Benedict, Virginia K. Heinen, Vladimir V. Pravosudov
Summary: The underlying mechanisms connecting correlated behaviors in wild populations, such as food caching and nest building, remain largely unknown. This study shows that in mountain chickadees, individual females that cache more food also build larger nests. These findings suggest that the innate drive of adaptive food caching may spillover and influence the outcome of neutral nest building.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Necmiye Sahin Arslan, Thomas E. Martin
Summary: The study on the movement behavior of offspring from cavity- and open-cup-nesting bird species shows that cavity-nesting species have offspring with greater mobility but remain more aggregated within the family, while open-cup-nesting species have offspring which are more dispersed despite increasing movement distances with age. This variation in movement behavior of young can have implications for parental care strategies and juvenile survival.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jason Riggio, Andrew Engilis Jr, Hanika Cook, Evelien De Greef, Daniel S. Karp, Melanie L. Truan
Summary: This study examined the impacts of habitat use and weather on the reproduction of cavity-nesting songbirds in California's Central Valley. The results showed that the selection of nest sites was influenced by habitat variables, and reproductive success and nestling weight were highest in selected habitats. Higher maximum nesting season temperatures had negative effects on clutch size, reproductive success, and nestling weight for all species. The effects of precipitation varied by species and timing. Overall, this study highlights the importance of long-term monitoring to understand the impacts of global change on fitness.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Patricia Catalina-Allueva, Carlos A. Martin
Summary: The study in two urban parks in Madrid found that woodpeckers play a significant role as providers of nesting and refuge places for other cavity-using birds. They showed a strong preference for trees of the genus Populus, with most cavities located in the trunk and facing north away from paths. Occupancy rates were higher for excavated cavities compared to natural cavities, and the richness and composition of cavity-user species differed between the two types of cavities. This highlights the importance of woodpeckers as ecosystem engineers in urban parks and their potential role in guiding biodiversity conservation efforts in urban planning.
Article
Parasitology
Nayden Chakarov, Jesus Veiga, Ignacio Ruiz-Arrondo, Francisco Valera
Summary: The study found that only one species of black fly entered the nests of European rollers, with some carrying DNA from the rollers and 15% carrying Leucocytozoon lineages, indicating previous feeding on avian hosts. This suggests that black flies do not have a strong host preference, and their feeding behavior may play a role in the transmission and evolution of avian blood parasites.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Andrea R. Norris, Leonardo Frid, Chloe Debyser, Krista L. De Groot, Jeffrey Thomas, Adam Lee, Kimberly M. Dohms, Andrew Robinson, Wendy Easton, Kathy Martin, Kristina L. Cockle
Summary: The study highlights the cumulative impacts of various disturbances on the future habitat of the olive-sided flycatcher in Canada's western boreal forest. Findings suggest that habitat loss for the species will increase under Business As Usual management scenarios, emphasizing the need for landscape-level management recommendations to address ongoing biodiversity loss.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Krista L. De Groot, Alison N. Porter, Andrea R. Norris, Andrew C. Huang, Ruth Joy
Summary: Bird-window collisions are a significant cause of avian mortality, with research mainly focusing on eastern North American studies. This study highlights the need for further research on Western North American species and seasonal collision mortality patterns.
ORNITHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Joseph M. Taylor, Olivia M. Smith, Max Edworthy, Christina M. Kennedy, Christopher E. Latimer, Jeb P. Owen, Erin E. Wilson-Rankin, William E. Snyder
Summary: Our study suggests that birds have relatively modest impacts on arthropod pests associated with broccoli plantings, and landscape context and seasonal variation play inconsistent roles in mediating this impact.
ORNITHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Olivia M. Smith, Elissa M. Olimpi, Nora Navarro-Gonzalez, Kevin A. Cornell, Luke O. Frishkoff, Tobin D. Northfield, Timothy M. Bowles, Max Edworthy, Johnna Eilers, Zhen Fu, Karina Garcia, David J. Gonthier, Matthew S. Jones, Christina M. Kennedy, Christopher E. Latimer, Jeb P. Owen, Chika Sato, Joseph M. Taylor, Erin E. Wilson-Rankin, William E. Snyder, Daniel S. Karp
Summary: Recent foodborne illness outbreaks have increased pressure on farmers to keep wildlife out of farms, but it is still unclear which species pose the greatest risk to food safety. Through testing and surveys of wild birds in the western United States, it was found that traits associated with pathogen exposure predicted pathogen prevalence, and species associated with feedlots were more likely to enter fields and defecate on crops.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Devin R. de Zwaan, Anna Drake, Alaine F. Camfield, Elizabeth C. MacDonald, Kathy Martin
Summary: In seasonal environments, weather conditions across the annual cycle influence breeding phenology and fitness of horned larks breeding in northern British Columbia, Canada. Environmental conditions closer to the breeding site have stronger carry-over effects on reproductive fitness, with potential energy-based mechanisms linking pre-breeding conditions to breeding success. Understanding cross-seasonal mechanisms in stochastic environments allows for more accurate predictions of population-level responses to climate change.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Krista L. De Groot, Amy G. Wilson, Rene McKibbin, Sarah A. Hudson, Kimberly M. Dohms, Andrea R. Norris, Andrew C. Huang, Ivy B. J. Whitehorne, Kevin T. Fort, Christian Roy, Julie Bourque, Scott Wilson
Summary: In North America, a large number of birds die annually due to collisions with glass. One approach to reducing collision risk is to install visual cues on glass that enable birds to perceive glass as a hazard and avoid collisions at a sufficient distance.
Article
Ecology
Tomas A. Altamirano, Devin R. de Zwaan, Davide Scridel, Scott Wilson, Kathy Martin
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrea R. Norris, Kathy Martin, Kristina L. Cockle
Summary: This study examines the variation in fecundity of the mountain chickadee at different scales and reveals significant effects of weather, food availability, and nest characteristics on reproductive success. It also highlights the importance of considering community dynamics and adopting a holistic approach when studying the fecundity of opportunistic and climate-sensitive species.
Review
Ornithology
Leticia Soares, Kristina L. Cockle, Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza, Jose Tomas Ibarra, Carolina Isabel Mino, Santiago Zuluaga, Elisa Bonaccorso, Juan Camilo Rios-Orjuela, Flavia A. Montano-Centellas, Juan F. Freile, Maria A. Echeverry-Galvis, Eugenia Bianca Bonaparte, Luisa Maria Diele-Viegas, Karina Speziale, Sergio A. Cabrera-Cruz, Orlando Acevedo-Charry, Enriqueta Velarde, Cecilia Cuatianquiz Lima, Valeria S. Ojeda, Carla S. Fontana, Alejandra Echeverri, Sergio A. Lambertucci, Regina H. Macedo, Alberto Esquivel, Steven C. Latta, Irene Ruvalcaba-Ortega, Maria Alice S. Alves, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Alejandro Bodrati, Fernando Gonzalez-Garcia, Nestor Farina, Juan Esteban Martinez-Gomez, Ruben Ortega-Alvarez, Maria Gabriela Nunez Montellano, Camila C. Ribas, Carlos Bosque, Adrian S. Di Giacomo, Juan Areta, Carine Emer, Lourdes Mugica Valdes, Clementina Gonzalez, Maria Emilia Rebollo, Giselle Mangini, Carlos Lara, Jose Cristobal Pizarro, Victor R. Cueto, Pablo Rafael Bolanos-Sittler, Juan Francisco Ornelas, Martin Acosta, Marcos Cenizo, Miguel Angelo Marini, Leopoldo D. Vazquez-Reyes, Jose Antonio Gonzalez-Oreja, Leandro Bugoni, Martin Quiroga, Valentina Ferretti, Lilian T. Manica, Juan M. Grande, Flor Rodriguez-Gomez, Soledad Diaz, Nicole Buettner, Lucia Mentesana, Marconi Campos-Cerqueira, Fernando Gabriel Lopez, Andre C. Guaraldo, Ian MacGregor-Fors, Francisca Helena Aguiar-Silva, Cristina Y. Miyaki, Silvina Ippi, Emilse Merida, Cecilia Kopuchian, Cintia Cornelius, Paula L. Enriquez, Natalia Ocampo-Penuela, Katherine Renton, Jhan C. Salazar, Luis Sandoval, Jorge Correa Sandoval, Pedro X. Astudillo, Ancilleno O. Davis, Nicolas Cantero, David Ocampo, Oscar Humberto Marin Gomez, Sergio Henrique Borges, Sergio Cordoba-Cordoba, Alejandro G. Pietrek, Carlos B. de Araujo, Guillermo Fernandez, Horacio de la Cueva, Joao Marcos Guimaraes Capurucho, Nicole A. Gutierrez-Ramos, Ariane Ferreira, Lilian Mariana Costa, Cecilia Soldatini, Hannah M. Madden, Miguel Angel Santillan, Gustavo Jimenez-Uzcategui, Emilio A. Jordan, Guilherme Henrique Silva Freitas, Paulo C. Pulgarin-R, Roberto Carlos Almazan-Nunez, Tomas Altamirano, Milka R. Gomez, Myriam C. Velazquez, Rebeca Irala, Facundo A. Gandoy, Andrea C. Trigueros, Carlos A. Ferreyra, Yuri Vladimir Albores-Barajas, Markus Tellkamp, Carine Dantas Oliveira, Andrea Weiler, Ma del Coro Arizmendi, Adrianne G. Tossas, Rebecca Zarza, Gabriel Serra, Rafael Villegas-Patraca, Facundo Gabriel Di Sallo, Cleiton Valentim, Jorge Ignacio Noriega, Giraldo Alayon Garcia, Martin R. de la Pena, Rosendo M. Fraga, Pedro Vitor Ribeiro Martins
Summary: To advance Neotropical ornithology, it is crucial to address systemic exclusion, improve research practices, and provide better funding and professional development opportunities. Collaborative leadership, investment in basic field biology research, and the promotion of anti-colonial agendas are key to progress.
ORNITHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza, Kristina L. Cockle, Maria Gabriela Nunez Montellano, Carla S. Fontana, Cecilia Cuatianquiz Lima, Maria A. Echeverry-Galvis, Ronald A. Fernandez-Gomez, Flavia A. Montano-Centellas, Elisa Bonaccorso, Sergio A. Lambertucci, Cintia Cornelius, Carlos Bosque, Leandro Bugoni, Alejandro Salinas-Melgoza, Katherine Renton, Juan F. Freile, Fernando Angulo, Lourdes Mugica Valdes, Enriqueta Velarde, Sandra Cuadros, Carolina Isabel Mino
Summary: Global-scope scientific journals have upheld colonial inequities in ornithology and now have a role to play in increasing equity in publishing. Common barriers faced by Neotropical ornithologists include biased criteria, high publication costs, language hegemony, and lack of representation. Recommended actions include adjusting publication criteria, providing free or low-cost options, offering submission in Spanish, increasing representation, and introducing reflexivity statements.
ORNITHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Kristina L. Cockle, Olga Villalba, Nestor Farina, Alejandro Bodrati, Luis G. Pagano, Eliza D. Stein, Andrea R. Norris
Summary: Long-distance migratory aerial insectivores in North America, including the Common Nighthawk, face threats, but little is known about their non-breeding cycle in South America. This study observed and GPS-tagged Common Nighthawks in Argentina, revealing their migration patterns, roosting behavior, and site fidelity. The findings highlight the importance of monitoring and conservation efforts in the Cerrado and southern South America for the long-term survival of these bird species.
JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)