Category: Passeridae

Tree Sparrow Passer montanus freezing in the presence of a Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) Science Article 3 abstract [..] A striking example of freezing behaviour in Tree Sparrows Passer montanus was observed at Tovetorp Zoological Research Station in south-eastern Sweden on 28 February 2002. I observed a Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus launching an attack, at 14.45 in the afternoon, towards a feeding station located underneath a […]

Habitat use by breeding Tree Sparrows Passer montanus

Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) Science Article 6 abstract Tree Sparrows Passer montanus showed a strong preference for nest-sites adjacent to wetland habitats, and avoidance of sites on intensively managed mixed farmland distant from Rutland Water. A variety of wetland edge habitats were frequently used by foraging adult birds when provisioning nestlings, and invertebrate prey of […]

Impaired hatching success and male-biased embryo mortality in Tree Sparrows

Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) Science Article 4 abstract During the past 30 years, many species of farmland birds have declined dramatically in numbers in Northern Europe, a trend coinciding with a tremendous intensification of agriculture, although the exact causes of these declines remain unclear. One of the worst affected species is the Tree Sparrow (Passer […]

Parental Care, Male Desertion, and Reproductive Success in the Spanish Sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis

Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) Science Article 3 abstract Parental care in altricial birds is costly, and mate desertion can occur due to sexual conflict over the level of parental investment in the offspring. This cessation of parental care by 1 parent can affect the success of the current reproduction. In the Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis), […]

Variation of nestling diet across the breeding season in Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis in southern Portugal

Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) Science Article 1 abstract […]. The study was carried out in May and June 2000 in Castro Verde, Southern Portugal (37 deg 41?N, 08 deg 03?W). The Castro Verde region is a cereal crop steppe, alternating with fallow grounds, which are usually grazed by sheep and cattle. The sparrows nest in […]

Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis breeding success in 2002 in southern Portugal

Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) Science Article 2 abstract […]. During the breeding season of 2002 (from May to June), the breeding biology of the Spanish Sparrow was studied in the region of Castro Verde (37 deg 41?N, 08 deg 03?W, Alentejo, Southern Portugal). The Castro Verde region is a cereal steppe with cereal crops alternating […]

Male Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia) Nest Defence Correlates with Female Ornament Size

Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia) Science Article 1 abstract We investigated the relationship between male nest defence and female breastpatch size in an alpine population of rock sparrow (Petronia petronia)in northernItaly. We presented a mounted weasel Matteo Griggio et al, Ethology 109, 659-669 (2003) Download article download full text (pdf)

Lifetime reproductive success in relation to morphology in the house sparrow Passer domesticus

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) Science Article 7 abstract In this study we relate variation in lifetime reproductive success (LRS) of male and female house sparrows Passer domesticus to morphological characteristics. Our analyses demonstrated no sex-specific difference in the distribution of LRS. The variance in LRS was influenced mainly by variation in individual annual reproductive success, […]

Effects of experimental increase of corticosterone levelson begging behavior, immunity and parental provisioning ratein house sparrows

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) Science Article 8 abstract Begging is a complex display that is supposed to honestly indicate the need for food of nestlings, and, usually, parents use this informationto adjust their investment in food provisioning. However, the mechanisms that ensure the honesty of begging as an indicator ofneed are still poorly known. Claire […]