Seed predation by birds shortly after a wildfire in a Corsican pine forest

Abstract

We examined the response of birds to a severe summer wildfire in a Corsican pine forest during the first months following the disturbance. Only seed-eating species visited the burnt areas in large numbers. While certain trunks or branches were still burning, numerous birds, among them the coal tit Parus ater and the Corsican nuthatch Sitta whiteheadi, were attracted by the large amount of pine seeds made available by the opening of the cones under the action of heat. The number of seed-harvesting birds declined afterwards. We discuss how seed hoarding by tits and nuthatches enabled these resident birds to survive during the first winter after the fire in a burnt environment where seeds remained the only potential food source.