Selection of Nest Site and Nesting Material in the Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea

摘要

Theselectionofnestsitesandnestingmaterialmayhaveimportantimplicationsforavianreproductivebehaviourandperformance.Nestconstructionmayinvolvecostsarisingfromtransportingmaterialthatmaybereducedconsiderablyifnestmaterialsarelocatedclosetothenestsite.EurasianNuthatchSittaeuropaeanestsinournestboxstudyareaaremainlycomposedofpinebarkflakesoralternativelyofstripsofbarkofthewidespreadshrubCistuslaurifolius,withvariableamountsofmudbeingusedforplasteringtheentrance.Severalsmallstreamsrunthroughtheareaa€”anoakQuercuspyrenaicaforestwithafewscatteredpinesPinussylvestris.HereweshowthatNuthatchescollectedpinebarkonlywhennestsitesweresituatedclosetopines,usedmoremudwhenbreedingclosetostreamsandselectednestsitesclosertostreamsthanasympatricspeciesnotusingmud,thePiedFlycatcherFicedulahypoleuca.Nuthatchesusedpinebarkonlywhentherewasapinetreelessthan100mawayfromthenestboxandselectedCistusbarkwhentransportdistancewasgreater.Wesuggestthattheselectionofnestsitesandnestmaterialsinthisspeciesmaybeconstrainedbythecostsoftransportingnestmaterial.