A new material for old solutions—the case of plastic string used in Great Grey Shrike nests

Abstract

Innovative behaviours are defined as new behaviour patterns derived by the modification of pre-existing ones. To date, studies of animal innovation have focussed mainly on foraging activity. In this paper, we focussed on the innovative use of a new material—man-made plastic (polypropylene) string—in nest construction by a solitary nesting, territorial species, the Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor. An analysis of field data collected during the years 1999–2006 during intensive shrike research in Poland, as well as of nest record cards since 1964, suggests that plastic string has been a very popular nest material since the 1980s. Recently, plastic string was used significantly more often by shrikes living in intensive farmland habitats than by those in more natural meadows. We discuss the possible benefits of the use of plastic string, such as strengthening the nest structure and therefore helping to protect eggs and nestlings from inclement weather conditions, such as strong winds. On the other hand, the use of plastic string has a real cost for breeding Great Grey Shrikes because both adult birds and nestlings may get tangled in it.