Tag: Great Tit

How great tits maintain synchronization of their hatch date with food supply in response to long-term variability in temperature

Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 28 abstract Breeding birds increase their fitness by synchronizing their production of chicks with a peak of food abundance. Synchronization is primarily achieved by varying first egg date, but yearly temperature variations may delay or accelerate the food peak after the first egg has been laid. We tested the […]

Breeding territory size affects fiitness: an experimental study on competition at the individual level

Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 11 abstract 1. Descriptive studies have shown that the annual mean fecundity and survival in bird populations decline as density increases. Experimental studies in which breeding density has been manipulated show that density causally a.ects reproduction in some but not other species. 2. In a 3-year study on great […]

Food, reproductive success and multiple breeding in the Great Tit Parus major.

Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 23 abstract We studied the reproductive success of facultatively double brooded Great Tits Parus major in relation to (seasonal) variation in abundance of their main food supply: caterpillars in Oak Quercus robur. Data were collected in two mixed woods (Vlieland and Hoge Veluwe, from 1985-1996). The caterpillar food stock […]

Breeding patterns of great tits ( Parus major ) in pine forests along the Portuguese west coast

Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 12 abstract The breeding biology of great tits (Parus major) was studied in two forests of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) on the west coast of Portugal, 200 km apart: Leiria (north) and Apostica (south). These two forests are located in a transition zone between Atlantic climate in the north, […]

Daily energy expenditure during brood rearing of Great Tits Parus major in northern

Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 22 abstract We present data on the natural variation in daily energy expenditure (DEE, measured by the doubly labelled water technique) of individual female Great Tits Parus major tending their brood near the northern border of the species’ distribution. We expected that longer foraging days would result in a […]

The abundance of essential vitamins in food chains and its impacton avian reproduction

Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 8 abstract Birds produce fewer or less viable eggs if the micro-nutrient requirements for reproduction cannot be met. Forexample, embryos from failed eggs of European sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus often show anomalies that indicate vitamin B2deficiency. B2 is only produced by plants and is propagated through the food chain. Here, […]

Size and parental effort in the Great Tit Parus major.

Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 19 abstract We experimentally reduced clutch size of Great Tits Parus major to investigate the effects on parental care (including Daily Energy Expenditure, DEE, measured with doubly labelled water). and the relationship between DEE and the residual reproductive value. The length of a working day was not affected. but […]

Information, predation risk and foraging decisions during mobbing in great tits Parus major

Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 26 abstract Tomaximise survival during foraging animalsmust decide when and for how long foraging should be interrupted in order to avoid predators. Previous experiments have shown that birds that hear other individuals’alarm calls resume feeding later than those that see a flying predator.However, the responses of prey animals to […]