Activity patterns of parent Great Tits Parus major feeding their young during rainfall

Abstract

The influence of rainfall on the foraging patterns of Great Tit Parus major parents while feeding chicks at the nest was investigated using automated nest monitoring with electronic balances and photography. Great Tit females significantly reduced their visit rate to the nest during all rain intensities, while male feeding frequency did not significantly change. The female response was probably due to increased brooding requirements of young since the reduction in visit rate was most apparent at early nestling stages. At this time the chicks are incapable of thermoregulation and females significantly increased their nestbox occupancy time during rain. There was no indication that parents were compensating for periods of female inactivity during rainfall: there was no significant increase in visit rate following rainfall and no significant increase in prey size delivered to the nest during periods of rain. An analysis of data from six consecutive years revealed that the proportion of wet hours within the first week of the nestling period significantly influenced fledging weight in this species.