Inferring regional, habitat and phylogenetic patterns in caliochory from bird nests in a museum collection

The aim is to get as many offspring as possible from domestic songbirds during the breeding season. However, the inadequacy of the nest material used during nest construction and the individual abilities of the birds in nest construction directly affect the success of the breeding season. In this study, the nests built by two groups of female Gloster canaries using the same nest material were evaluated, and the effects on the hatching rates of fertile eggs and the development of offspring were evaluated. For this purpose, 8 female canaries were used, 4 in 1st group (T-1) and 4 in 2nd group (T-2). Female birds showing estrus were artificially inseminated, and the hatching rates of the eggs were evaluated. The nests of Group T-1 were not intervened in the nests, and the nests of Group T-2 were intervened in the nest during construction, and the hatching rates of fertile eggs were observed. It was concluded that the T-2 group was more successful than the T-1 group. It may be possible to obtain more offspring by eliminating the deficiencies observed in the nests of the birds during nest construction to a certain extent. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of interventions made to the nests of female birds inseminated under equal conditions on the incubation process and the hatching rate.

Data-rich birds’ nests in museum collections are relatively rarely used in ornithological research but can be valuable sources of scientific data. Materials, architecture, artefacts of utilisation and preserved nest fauna all combine to make museum nest collections potentially excellent behavioural archives. Over recent years, the Natural History Museum, Tring, and the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, have cooperatively developed their respective collections to deliver a combined research resource that is international in scope, increasingly taxonomically representative and rich in time-series of nest specimens for British breeding species. Here we review the role of museum nest collections in furthering avian research and explore how new research techniques may potentially provide exciting opportunities. We also consider collection development and how collections might be better tailored to the needs of avian biology researchers.

Avian builders: more than meets the eye

Bird nests are fascinating microcosms harboring a wide range of arthropods parasitizing the nesting birds or feeding on prey remains, feces, and the nest material. Studies of these communities have been entirely based on emergence traps which collect live organisms out of the nests. The analysis of nest contents and environmental DNA (eDNA) via metabarcoding could expand our knowledge and identify prey, exuviae, and other animal remains in bird nests. Here, we investigated the potential of arthropod remains, nest dust, and feathers to better describe arthropod diversity accumulated in 20 bird nests collected in Guelph (Canada). We used subsampling strategies and tested two extraction approaches to investigate the distribution of DNA in nests, account for low-quality DNA, and the presence of inhibitory substances. In total, 103 taxa were detected via metabarcoding. Arthropod remains delivered the highest number of taxa (n = 67), followed by nest dust (n = 29). Extractions with the PowerSoil kit outperformed DNeasy extractions coupled with PowerClean Pro inhibitor removal. Per nest, on average 5.5% taxonomic overlap between arthropod remains of different size classes was detected and subsamples of nest dust extracted with the PowerSoil kit showed 47.3% taxonomic overlap indicating a heterogeneous eDNA distribution in nests. Most detected species were either feeding in the nest, i.e., herbivorous / predatory, or bird food. We also detected molecular traces of 25 bird species, whose feathers were likely used as nest material. Consequently, the metabarcoding of bird nest materials provides a more complete picture of nest communities, which can enable future studies on functional diversity and better comparisons between nesting species.

All birds construct nests to lay eggs and/or to raise offspring. Scientific description on the nest materials of Black Kite Milvus migrans govinda is very few and is particularly lacking in urban landscape. Therefore, the present study was carried out on three nests of Black Kites collected from different regions of Kolkata metropolis, India to generate quantitative data on the nest parameters and materials used by the Black Kites to construct nest in this urban metropolis of the country. All these nests of Black Kites were large oval shaped platform nests, which mostly comprised of dry twigs of various plants (1.265 ± 0.094 kg, range 1.147–1.452, n = 3), followed by fair amount of human derived (artificial) objects (0.507 ± 0.049 kg, range 0.42–0.59, n = 3) and clay (0.347 ± 0.038 kg, range 0.29–0.42 kg, n = 3). Dimensions of three nests did not vary significantly (Kruskal–Wallis test: H = 0.195, df = 2, P > 0.05), but the weight of ‘plant materials’, ‘human derived materials’ and ‘clay’ present in all three nests varied significantly (Kruskal–Wallis test: H = 6.88, df = 2, P < 0.05). Present study thus adds to the existing knowledge of nest materials used by Milvus migrans govinda and is the first scientific report on nest materials used by these diurnal raptors in Kolkata metropolis.

As part of the ornithological research on the breeding biology of the tree sparrow (Passer montanus) in the Jurský šúr National Nature Reserve (SW Slovakia), many specimens of the nidicolous fauna were collected from wooden nest boxes. Six species of Thysanoptera were predominantly represented by Limothrips denticornis (54.8%). Bark dwelling thrips (Hoplothrips semicaecus) migrate very actively on trunks and are able to invade the canopy and its bird nests. Woods surrounded by agricultural fields are often invaded by wind-blown graminicolous thrips (e.g. Limothrips cerealium ) which when abundant may infiltrate less suitable habitats. Zoochorous transport by birds (nest material) plays an important role in increasing the diversity of nest invertebrates. We assume that these thrips usually leave nests as their food source declines.

In 1844, the celebrated Dutch author Everhardus Johannes Potgieter (1808-1875) published his criticism of the Rijksmuseum (national museum) in De Gids , which at the time was the most important cultural periodical. The chapter describes the exceptional situation in the Netherlands regarding history and art - and thus museums - and sketch the history of the Dutch national art museums in Amsterdam and The Hague until 1844. The first national museum - the Nationale Konst-Gallerij (national art gallery) - opened its doors in May 1800. It was housed in the west wing of a former palace of the princes of Orange, Huiten Bosch (house in the wood), near The Hague. During the Kingdom of Holland (1806-1810) - under Louis Napoleon, the brother of Napoleon - the national museum's collection was moved from The Hague to Amsterdam, where it was housed on the third floor of the Royal Palace and called the Royal Museum. Keywords: Amsterdam; De Gids ; Everhardus Johannes Potgieter; Louis Napoleon; national museum; Nationale Konst-Gallerij; Rijksmuseum; Royal Museum; The Hague

Bird nests can have various roles but all act as the location for incubation, so at least have to serve to hold and support the incubating bird and its clutch of eggs. Nest construction is species specific and the use of materials varies between different parts of the nest. At present we know very little about the role that these materials play in the structural characteristics of the nest. This study examined materials from deconstructed nests from four species of thrush (Turdidae) and two species of finch (Fringillidae) that all constructed nests made of woody stems. It was hypothesised that structural properties would vary within the different regions of a nest, with thicker and stronger materials being found in parts of the nest needing the most support. Secondly, it was predicted that structural properties would vary little between nests of members of the same family, but would be quite different between nests of different families. Nests were deconstructed to quantify the materials used in the cup lining, and the upper and lower parts of the outer nest. The 20 thickest pieces of material were selected from each nest part and for each piece, and their diameter and mass quantified. Each piece was then subjected to a three-point bending test using an Instron universal testing machine to determine its rigidity and bending strength. Placement of materials in the nest was non-random in all species. The materials used in the outer part of the nest were thicker, stronger and stiffer than those materials found in the cup lining. The extent to which these structural properties varied between families depended on where the material was taken from the nest. Both strength and rigidity strongly positively correlated with the diameter of the piece of material. We hypothesise that birds are not directly aware of the structural properties of the material per se but rather assess diameter and mass of the material when they pick it up by the bill. Using this information they decide on whether the piece is suitable for that appropriate stage of nest construction.

In tropical and subtropical rainforests, vegetative fungal rhizomorphs from the Marasmiineae are routinely used as construction material in bird nests. Because rhizomorphs seldom produce mushrooms within nests, the fungal species involved remain largely unknown. In turn, this limitation has prevented us from resolving broader questions such as whether specific fungal species are selected by birds for different functional roles (i.e., attachment, or parasite control). To fill some of these gaps, we collected 74 rhizomorph-containing bird nests from the Neo- and Afrotropics and used nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS) sequences to discriminate between rhizomorph-forming species. In total we recovered 25 Marasmiineae species used by birds in nest construction, none of which were shared between the Neotropics and the Afrotropics. We also collected Marasmiineae basidiomes in the vicinity of nests and used ITS sequences to match these sporulating morphs with nest rhizomorphs for nine species. Basidiomes from an additional five species were found fruiting from rhizomorphs incorporated within bird nests. Finally, an additional six species were putatively identified based on publicly available sequence data. Rhizomorphs of five species were found to be utilized almost exclusively as lining material in nests. Lining material comes in direct contact with nestlings and is hypothesized to play a role in parasite control. Rhizomorphs from 10 species were used to attach and anchor nests to substrates; we matched six of those to fruiting litter trap-forming species collected in the understory. Litter traps hold large quantities of fallen litter material, suggesting that birds may preferentially use rhizomorphs that are adapted to bearing heavy loads for nest attachment. Finally, we describe two species of Marasmius—M. neocrinis-equi, sp. nov., and M. nidus-avis, sp. nov.—that are commonly found associated with bird nests and show that rhizomorph production is common across the genus.

The use of snake slough as nest material by birds is considered an adaptive behavior to avoid nest predation. Here, we conducted predation experiments to test the hypothesis that the snake slough in nests of crested mynas (Acridotheres cristatellus) had anti-predatory effects. We put snake slough and white-rumped munia (Lonchura striata) eggs in the nest boxes to compare egg predation by Swinhoe’s striped squirrels (Tamiops swinhoei), one of the main predators of cavity-nesting birds. In addition, we conducted experiments to examine if Swinhoe’s striped squirrels identified the snake sloughs in the nest by vision or olfaction, and if the length of snake sloughs has effect on the predation rate. Our results showed that in the anti-predatory experiment, the egg predation rate (on days 3, 6) and the predation rate at which the squirrels first arrived the nest box were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. In the olfaction experiment, there was no significant difference in both the predation rate (on days 1, 3, 6) and the predation rate at which the squirrels first arrived the nest box between the two groups. In the vision experiment, the predation rate at which the squirrels first arrived the nest box was significantly lower in the experimental group (hung snake slough) than in the control group (hung cotton strip). In the slough length experiment, the length of snake slough did not have a significant effect on the predation rate. These results suggest that the snake sloughs in bird nests can effectively deter nest predators, mainly via visual effect. Our study provided strong experimental evidence for the hypothesis that snake slough in birds’ nests acts as a nest predator deterrent.

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Dioscoro S. Rabor, preeminent Philippine zoologist and conservationist for more than half of the 20th century, died 25 March 1996 in College, Laguna, Luzon, Philippines after a prolonged illness that prevented him from conducting the field work he loved so much. He is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Lina N. Florendo Rabor, five of their six children, and 11 grandchildren. Joe Rabor was born in Cebu City, Philippines, on 18 May 1911. He received his B.S. (1932) and M.S. (1934) from the University of the Philippines and worked toward his Ph.D. in 1957-58 at Yale University under S. Dillon Ripley. He received an honorary Sc.D. from Silliman University in 1974. Although he is best known for his work with birds and mammals, his scientific expertise included ichthyology and herpetology as well. His teaching and professional experience included some 30 positions, with professorships at Silliman University, 1947 to 1967; Mindanao State University, 1967 to 1975; and the College of Forestry, University of the Philippines at Los Bafios (UPLB), 1975 to 1976. He served as Project Director for the Migratory Animal Pathological Survey (U.S. Army, SEATO Medical Project) for the central and southern Philippines from 1964 to 1970, and, after his retirement, as a consultant in Wildlife Biology and Management at UPLB until he became ill in 1992. Rabor's passion for nature consumed his whole life-and the lives of his family as well. From 1935 to 1977, he led more than 50 expeditions into the forests of 25 islands in the Philippine Archipelago. Lina joined him on most of these trips, and as each child was born, they came along too! Each of their four daughters is named after a bird (Iole Irena, Nectarinia Juliae, and Ardea Ardeola) or a fish (Alectis Cyrene), and all became physicians. His series of expeditions with family and students resulted in the most thorough documentation of the birds and mammals of the Philippines ever. His field catalog for birds alone approached 60,000 entries, with most of his specimens deposited in the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), Yale Peabody Museum (YPM), Delaware Museum of Natural History (DMNH), Smithsonian Institution (USNM), Rabor Memorial Collection at UPLB (some 10,316 birds), and American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). To date, 69 new bird taxa, including 8 species (5 described by Rabor with Ripley or Austin L. Rand) and 61 subspecies(39 by Rabor and Rand, Ripley, or John E. duPont), have been named from Rabor's collections. Two species, Napothera rabori (Rand, Fieldiana Zoology 39:377-378, 1960) and Aethopyga linaraborae (Kennedy, Gonzales, and Miranda, Auk 114:1-10, 1997), have been named after Joe or Lina. An equally impressive list of new mammal species resulted from his field efforts as well. During his career, he authored no fewer than 87 scientific and popular books and articles, coauthoring 10 with Rand, 8 with Ripley, and 3 with duPont. Included among the accolades of Rabor's career were a Fulbright Fellowship to the FMNH, Guggenheim Fellowships to FMNH and YPM, and research associateships with YPM, FMNH, USNM, DMNH, and the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu. He was a member of the planning committees for the following International Ornithological Congresses: XIV, Oxford, 1966; XV, The Hague, 1970; and XVI, Canberra, 1974. He joined the AOU in 1951 and was elected a Corresponding Fellow in 1958.

The selection of nest sites and nesting material may have important implications for avian reproductive behaviour and performance. Nest construction may involve costs arising from transporting material that may be reduced considerably if nest materials are located close to the nest site. Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea nests in our nest box study area are mainly composed of pine bark flakes or alternatively of strips of bark of the widespread shrub Cistus laurifolius, with variable amounts of mud being used for plastering the entrance. Several small streams run through the area — an oak Quercus pyrenaica forest with a few scattered pines Pinus sylvestris. Here we show that Nuthatches collected pine bark only when nest sites were situated close to pines, used more mud when breeding close to streams and selected nest sites closer to streams than a sympatric species not using mud, the Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca. Nuthatches used pine bark only when there was a pine tree less than 100 m away from the nest box and selected Cistus bark when transport distance was greater. We suggest that the selection of nest sites and nest materials in this species may be constrained by the costs of transporting nest material.

Many species of birds use shed snake skin in nest construction, but this behavior remains poorly understood. Ecological context is likely key for understanding how this unusual, but widespread, behavior evolved. We use comparative and experimental approaches to suggest that the evolution of this behavior is mediated by nest morphology and predator communities. First, we reviewed the literature and found that 78 species from 22 families have been reported to use shed snake skin in nest construction. All but one of these species are passerines and, using comparative analyses, we show that this behavior is disproportionately observed in cavity-nesting species. Second, we examined a subsample of North American species, all of which are reported to use snake skin in nest construction, to see whether the proportion of nests with snake skin differs between cavity- and open cup-nesting species. This analysis suggested that the proportion of nests with snake skin is roughly 6.5 times higher in cavity- than in open cup-nesting species. Finally, we used a series of experiments and comparisons to test four hypotheses whereby snake skin could award fitness benefits (nest predation, nest microbiotas, nest ectoparasites, social signaling) and found support for the predation hypothesis. Snake skin reduced nest predation in cavity, but not open cup, nests. These unequal fitness benefits highlight different ecological conditions between nest morphologies and likely explains why, across species, cavity-nesting birds show this behavior more frequently than open cup-nesting birds.

Arrestant property of recently manipulated soil on Macrotermes michaelseni as determined through visual tracking and automatic labeling of individual termite behaviors