Effects of weather variation on the timing and success of breeding in two cavity-nesting species in a subtropical montane forest in Taiwan

Abstract

ABSTRACT Biological processes at low latitudes are often associated with seasonal rainfall, while those at high altitudes are also influenced by low temperature and high humidity. Thus, the breeding phenology of montane species at low latitudes requires clarification. We monitored the timing of nesting for two species of secondary cavity-nesting passerine, the Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus) and the Rufous-faced Warbler (Abroscopus albogularis), in a montane cloud forest in subtropical Taiwan between 2010 and 2014. To determine the effects of weather and extreme events on nesting success, we used program MARK to model daily nest survival rate as a function of weather variables. The results showed that March temperatures, but not spring (February–March) rainfall, affected the mean laying date of Green-backed Tits. Females shifted their laying dates to lay earlier in response to earlier warm spring weather. The Rufous-faced Warbler exhibited a similar but weaker relationship between March temperature an...