Do Bewick´s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) nestlings experience thermal stress in nest-boxes in a tropical urban city?

Abstract

Urban areas present thermal environments that may be challenging for altricial nestlings, particularly in early development. We aimed to evaluate whether altricial Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) nestlings experienced thermal stress in the nest-box during the early- and late-developmental stages. We determined the thermoregulatory set point (thermoneutral range) of nestlings by measuring cloacal body temperature of five nestlings from three nests, every other day from hatching until they fledged. We also exposed nestlings to a thermal challenge from day 5 to determine the age of endothermy. We used dataloggers to determine the thermal environment inside and outside of three nest-boxes, and obtained the operative temperature for nestlings in the nest-box using 3D-printed models corresponding to early- and late-developmental stages. Ambient temperatures inside the nest box fluctuated throughout the day, being colder at night just before day-break (min range: 10.4°C – 10.8°C), and hotter in the afternoon (max range: 25.8°C - 28.3°C). However, temperatures in the nest-box did not reach the extreme high and low outside temperatures, and were warmer at night. Nestlings reached age of endothermy at 9 ± 2.3 days after hatching, and showed a thermoneutral range of body temperature above ambient temperatures in the nest-box. Operative temperatures of models in the nest-box closely followed ambient temperatures, and were below nestlings´ thermoneutral range. Therefore, nestlings could experience thermal stress when parents do not provide additional buffering while off the nest for foraging. Although nest-boxes provide limited thermal benefits for nesting birds in tropical cities, they still provide valuable nesting and roosting sites where natural cavities are limited in availability.