Journal of Resources and Ecology >
Nest-site Choice and Breeding Success among Four Sympatric Species of Passerine Birds in a Reedbed-dominated Wetland
MA Laikun, E-mail: malk@hainnu.edu.cn |
Received date: 2020-07-16
Accepted date: 2020-09-04
Online published: 2021-03-30
Supported by
National Natural Science Foundation of China(31672303)
National Natural Science Foundation of China(31472013)
National Natural Science Foundation of China(31772453)
Science and Technology Research and Development Project of Chengde(202002A088)
The efficacy of nest-site choice ultimately determines the breeding success of birds. Comparisons of the reproductive strategies of various bird species which inhabit the same habitat may provide insights on the evolution of the diverse life-history strategies in birds. In this study, nest-site choice and breeding success of four species of passerine birds that rely on reeds for reproduction were investigated in a wetland in Hebei, China. The four species were the Oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) (ORW), the blunt-winged warbler (Acrocephalus concinens) (BW), the reed parrotbill (Paradoxornis heudei) (RP), and the vinous-throated parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana) (VP). Our results showed that breeding nests of the four species were distributed in a mosaic pattern within the same habitat, with similar nest shapes/structures and nest-sites in the reeds. The only characteristics which differed significantly among the species were nest height above the water surface, height of reeds where nests were placed, and density of reeds around the nest site. In addition, the starting time of reproduction clearly differed for the four species. The breeding success rates of the four species were 34.5% (86/249) for ORW, 35.3% (6/17) for BW, 38.5% (15/39) for RP, and 40.9% (9/22) for VP in the two study years. The main factors affecting the breeding success were nest predation and poor weather conditions, like heavy rainstorms and wind, while nest parasitism by the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) represented an important factor for breeding failure only in the Oriental reed warbler. Our study demonstrated that these four sympatric species of passerine birds inhabiting the same wetland exhibit differences in terms of nest-site choice and breeding phenology.
MA Laikun , YANG Canchao , LIANG Wei . Nest-site Choice and Breeding Success among Four Sympatric Species of Passerine Birds in a Reedbed-dominated Wetland[J]. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2021 , 12(1) : 22 -29 . DOI: 10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2021.01.003
Fig. 1 Visual comparison of the nests of the four sympatric birds during the breeding periodNote: A and E refer to Oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis), B and F refer to blunt-winged warbler (Acrocephalus concinens), C and G refer to reed parrotbill (Paradoxornis heudei), and D and H refer to vinous-throated parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana). |
Fig. 2 The distribution patterns of nest-sites of the four sympatric species in 2016 (A) and 2017 (B) |
Table 1 Comparisons of nest-site characteristics of the four sympatric bird species |
Variable | ORW (N=114) | BW (N=11) | RP (N=21) | VP (N=15) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Distance to road (m) | 22.53±13.45 | 25.95±15.08 | 21.81±13.92 | 18.87±19.43 |
Distance to perch (m) | 30.39±17.38 | 28.8±18.46 | 32.17±21.68 | 30.83±17.64 |
Distance to reed edge (m) | 12.92±10.35 | 17.05±14.27 | 9.36±6.74 | 8.73±7.11 |
Distance to water edge (m) | 14.04±11.54 | 12.14±13.45 | 12.38±12.01 | 6.27±6.44 |
Vegetation cover (%) | 15.48±15.21 | 18.18±15.7 | 18.57±16.29 | 13±10.14 |
Nest height (m) | 1.04±0.28 | 0.80±0.25 | 0.75±0.22 | 0.62±0.23 |
Reed height (m) | 2.59±0.51 | 2.21±0.41 | 2.22±0.32 | 1.74±0.32 |
Number of reed stems | 203.33±70.86 | 266.91±48.85 | 250.05±53.15 | 227.07±58.00 |
Water depth (cm) | 16.93±17.28 | 11.45±10.88 | 20.67±17.86 | 16.67±11.50 |
Note: ORW refers to the Oriental reed warbler; BW refers to the blunt-winged warbler; RP refers to the reed parrotbill; VP refers to the vinous-throated parrotbill. All values are shown as means ± SD. |
Table 2 Comparisons of breeding success and reasons for failure of the four sympatric bird species |
Species | Year | Nest fate (%) | Sampled nests | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Successful | Predated | Parasitized | Poor weather condition | |||
Oriental reed warbler | 2016 | 30.8 | 33.8 | 10.8 | 24.6 | 130 |
2017 | 38.7 | 40.3 | 12.6 | 8.4 | 119 | |
Blunt-winged warbler | 2016 | 25.0 | 41.7 | — | 33.3 | 12 |
2017 | 60.0 | 40.0 | — | — | 5 | |
Reed parrotbill | 2016 | 17.7 | 29.4 | — | 52.9 | 17 |
2017 | 54.6 | 40.9 | — | 4.5 | 22 | |
Vinous-throated parrotbill | 2016 | 50.0 | 37.5 | — | 12.5 | 8 |
2017 | 35.7 | 64.3 | — | — | 14 |
Fig. 3 Species preying on bird eggs and nestlings as detected with the video footageNote: A is the red-banded snake (Dinodon rufozonatum); B is the twin-spotted ratsnake (Elaphe bimaculata); and C is the Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica). |
We would like to thank the Forestry Bureau of Yongnian County, Hebei Province, China, for permission to undertake this study, including all experimental procedures. We are grateful to Liu Jianping, Zhang Jianwei, Zhou Bo and Rao Xiaodong for their assistance with fieldwork.
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