Abstract
The low breeding performance and body condition of nestling passerine birds in urban environments has been attributed to the poor quality and low abundance of food in these settings. However, detailed data on prey provided by parents to their chicks in the urban habitat is scarce. Here we used video cameras set in nest boxes to compare the diet of urban and forest great tits Parus major when provisioning their chicks in a Mediterranean area. We additionally analysed brood size and fledgling success. Breeding success of urban great tits was lower than that of forest birds. Urban parents displayed a lower average hourly feeding rate per nestling than forest parents. Among the three prey item categories, the percentage of spiders did not vary according to habitat. However, the percentage of caterpillars delivered to the nest by great tit parents was higher in the forest than in the urban habitat while the percentage of ‘other’ prey showed a reverse pattern. ‘Other’ prey were mainly adult butterflies and wasps in the urban habitat. Our paper adds to the view that the low feeding rates and scarcity of caterpillars in urban environments may be the underlying cause constraining the growth of great tit nestlings in these areas.
Highlights
Breeding performance and nestling body composition in birds in urban environments are inferior to those in birds in more natural habitats (Solonen, 2001; Chamberlain et al, 2009; Bailly et al, 2016; Demeyrier et al, 2016; Seress et al, 2018)
Food supplementation experiments should be a good approach to solve whether the lower breeding success of urban birds is due to a limitation in the quantity or quality of food collected by urban birds
The aim of this paper was to compare the breeding success and diet of urban and forest great tits Parus major in a Mediterranean locality, and to analyse in detail the composition of prey delivered by urban great tit parents to their chicks
Summary
Breeding performance and nestling body composition in birds in urban environments are inferior to those in birds in more natural habitats (Solonen, 2001; Chamberlain et al, 2009; Bailly et al, 2016; Demeyrier et al, 2016; Seress et al, 2018). Food supplementation experiments should be a good approach to solve whether the lower breeding success of urban birds is due to a limitation in the quantity or quality of food collected by urban birds. Food supplementation experiments in urban birds have found positive (Bańbura et al, 2011; Seress et al, 2020), negligible (Meyrier et al, 2017), and even negative (Demeyrier et al, 2017) impact on body size and/or nestling survival. As stated by Demeyrier et al (2017), further detailed knowledge on the diet of passerine birds in cities is needed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
