Family Paridae Research Articles

Single‐species and multi‐species playbacks elicit asymmetrical responses within mixed‐species chickadee, titmouse, and nuthatch flocks

AbstractIndividuals join mixed‐species groups to gain benefits such as improved foraging and predator detection. Birds in the family Paridae often drive mixed‐species flocking in North America, and these species can act as community informants for forest‐wide eavesdropping networks. Although we know a great deal about how this communication functions in anti‐predator contexts, less is known about how the vocalizations of members of these flocks may affect the foraging behavior of potential flockmates. In this study, we presented naturally occurring mixed‐species flocks of chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches with one of four playback conditions: chickadee‐only calls, nuthatch‐only calls, calls of both species, and a silent control. We hypothesized that the flocks would be most responsive to playbacks that contained calls from more than one species. We also tested an alternative hypothesis that predicted that birds would be most responsive to the nuclear species within the flock (chickadees). We found that birds were more likely to arrive, and arrived more quickly, for the playbacks with calls from both species compared to playbacks of nuthatches alone or the silent control. Playbacks of chickadee calls alone attracted an intermediate number of birds, which did not differ significantly from the mixed‐species flock condition, or the nuthatch call alone condition. Our hypotheses were not supported due to the lack of significant difference between the mixed‐species playbacks and the chickadee playbacks. However, our findings do indicate that different species in these flocks can react differently to the calls of members of these flocks and that future studies may continue to find asymmetries in attraction to these different social signals.

Unlearned adaptive responses to heterospecific referential alarm calls in two bird species from separate evolutionary lineages

The interspecific responses to alarm signals may be based on unlearned mechanisms but research is often constrained by the difficulties in differentiating between unlearned and learned responses in natural situations. In a field study of two Paridae species, Parus minor and Sittiparus varius, who originated from a common ancestor 8 million years ago, we found a considerable degree of between-species overlap in acoustic properties of referential snake-alarm calls. Playback of these calls triggered unlearned adaptive fledging behavior in conspecific and heterospecific naive nestlings, suggesting a between-species overlap in the hypothetical unlearned neural templates involved in nestlings’ reactions to alarm calls in both species. This suggests that similar calls and similar unlearned sensitivity might have been present in the common ancestor of the two species, and possibly in the ancestor of the whole family Paridae that originated 10–15 million years ago in Asian regions rich in snakes.

Environmental drivers behind the genetic differentiation in mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli).

Anthropogenic climate change has a large impact on wildlife populations and the scale of the impacts has been increasing. In this study, we utilised 3dRAD sequence data to investigate genetic divergence and identify the environmental drivers of genetic differentiation between 12 populations of mountain chickadees, family Paridae, sampled across North America. To examine patterns of genetic variation across the range, we conducted a discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), admixture analysis, and calculated pairwise Fst values. The DAPC revealed four clusters: southern California, eastern Rocky Mountains, northwestern Rocky Mountains, and Oregon/northern California. We then used BayeScEnv to highlight significant outlier SNPs associated with the five environmental variables. We identified over 150 genes linked to outlier SNPs associated with more than 15 pathways, including stress response and circadian rhythm. We also found a strong signal of isolation by distance and local temperature was highly correlated with genetic distance. Maxent simulations showed a northward range shift over the next 50 years and a decrease in suitable habitat, highlighting the need for immediate conservation action.

Genomic Basis of Adaptive Divergence in Leg Length between Ground- and Tree-Dwelling Species within a Bird Family.

Hind limbs of tetrapods vary greatly in length and the variability can be associated with locomotor adaptation. Although the phenotypic evolution has been well documented, the underlying genetic basis remains poorly understood. We address this issue by integrating comparative genomics and functional prediction with a study system consisting of ground-dwelling, long-legged and tree-dwelling, short-legged species within the avian family Paridae. Genome-wide divergence and phenotypic correlation analyses jointly identified five highly divergent genomic regions that are significantly related with the difference in leg length between these two groups. Gene annotation for these regions detected three genes involved in skeletal development, that is, PTPA, BRINP1, and MIGA2, with the first one being under the strongest selection. Furthermore, four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding region of PTPA can well distinguish the two groups with distinct leg length. Among the four SNPs, one is non-synonymous mutation, and according to the prediction for protein structure and function, it can affect the 3D structure of the encoded protein by altering the corresponding amino acid's position. The alleles of PTPA were found in all sequenced species of the orders Palaeognathae and Psittaciformes, which typically take a ground locomotion style. A whole-genome scanning across bird species uncovered that the four SNPs are more likely to be present in resident passerines with increased leg length/wing length ratios (a proxy of leg-dependent locomotion efficiency). Our findings provide insight into the molecular evolution of locomotion performance based on leg morphology in birds.

Host specificity of passerine Lankesterella (Apicomplexa: Coccidia)

Lankesterella parasites are blood coccidians that have recently gained attention as their records in common passerine species emerge. To date, their occurrence has been molecularly confirmed in several passerine genera, mainly among members of the families Paridae and Acrocephalidae. Despite their relatively high prevalence in some host populations, their life cycles remain unclear, mosquitoes or mites being the proposed vectors. The aim of this study was to reveal Lankesterella host specificity, focusing mainly on parasites of tit and warbler species (families Paridae and Acrocephalidae). We have determined the 18S rRNA gene sequences of Lankesterella from 35 individuals belonging to eight different host species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that passerine Lankesterella are host-specific, with specificity at the host genus or species level. Besides Lankesterella, Isospora sequences were obtained from avian blood as well, pointing out the need for barcoding.

How great tits respond to urgency‐based information in allopatric Southern house wren mobbing calls

AbstractMany species of birds use alarm calls to signal information about predators, including the level of threat. Previous playback experiments suggest that the urgency response towards heterospecific calls is phylogenetically conserved, notably in the Paridae family. Using playback experiments conducted on European great tits (Parus major), we tested whether this species perceives information about urgency in mobbing calls produced by an allopatric non‐Paridae species, the Southern house wren (Troglodytes aedon bonariae), by broadcasting calls with high‐calling rate (high threat) and calls with low‐calling rate (low threat). We found that great tits tend to approach the loudspeaker during playbacks of calls with high‐calling rate more often than during playbacks of calls with low‐calling rate. Female great tits gave more calls during playbacks of calls with high‐calling rate than during playbacks of calls with low‐calling rate, whereas there was no significant difference in the number of calls given by males between playbacks of calls with high‐ and low‐calling rates. Thus, our results suggested that great tits perceived the urgency message encoded in calls given by an allopatric non‐Paridae species.

Suttonella ornithocola detected within lesions of tit birds (Paridae) from epidemic death episodes in Germany, 2018-2020.

Several episodes of increased mortality in wild birds of the families Paridae and Aegithalidae have been documented in recent decades. The majority of affected animals exhibited necrotizing pneumonia with intralesional bacteria. Suttonella (S.) ornithocola, a gram-negative bacterium in the Cardiobacteriaceae family, has been regularly cultured bacteriologically from affected birds and has long been suspected as a potentially fatal cause of respiratory disease in birds. However, a direct causal relationship between this specific bacterium and the observed lesions within birds has not yet been established. Therefore, postmortem tissue from six tits was used in the present study, including three blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and three great tits (Parus major). Five of the six tits tested positive for S. ornithocola in bacteriological examination and originated from two incidents of increased mortality in Paridae in Germany. Animals found dead in the administrative district of Arnsberg (North Rhine Westphalia) in 2018 and 2020 were investigated for genomic fragments of S. ornithocola by chromogenic in situ hybridization using a newly developed DNA probe based on publicly assessable DNA sequences of the 16S rRNA gene of S. ornithocola. Positive hybridization signals were detected in five out of five animals and were predominantly detected within necrotizing lesions in lung and occasionally in lesions affecting liver and trachea. Interestingly, the lung of one animal without obvious necrotizing pulmonary lesions revealed positive hybridization results in the lumen of one pulmonary blood vessel. Two negative controls, including one bacteriologically S. ornithocola-negative great tit and a cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) suffering from salmonellosis, did not yield positive signals, indicating high sensitivity and specificity of the probe used. This is the first time that S. ornithocola has been clearly identified within necrotizing lesions in deceased tits. Although Koch's postulates have yet to be fulfilled, positive hybridization signals in association with detectable lesions are considered as further and strong evidence of the significant contribution of S. ornithocola to the several episodes of tit mortality recorded in Germany.

ОРНІТОФАУНА ДЕНДРАРІЮ БОТАНІЧНОГО САДУ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОГО ЛІСОТЕХНІЧНОГО УНІВЕРСИТЕТУ УКРАЇНИ

The article presents data on bird observations in the Botanical Garden of the National Forestry University of Ukraine. The information was collected from 2017 to 2021. In 2021, 37 species of birds were identified. Of these, 8 species belonging to the Passeriformes series are settled. The best represented family is Muscicapadae, including 7 species. The family Fringillidae includes 6 species, the family Paridae – 5 species. As many as 7 families represent only one species of birds. Birds identified in 2021 are: The great tit (Parus major L.), The Eurasian blue tit (P. caeruleus L.), Crested tit, (P. cristatus L.), Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus L.), The coal tit (P. ater L.), The marsh tit (P. palustris L.), The common blackbird (Turdus merula L.), Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris L.), The song thrush (T. philomelos Brehm), Redwing (T. iliacus L.), The mistle thrush (T. viscivorus L.), The spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata Pallas), European robin (Erithacus rubecula L.), Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus L.), common pigeon (Columba livia, Gmelin), Eurasian magpie (Pica pica L.), The Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius L.), Hooded crow (Corvus cornix L.), The rook (C. frugilegus L.), Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major L.), The middle spotted woodpecker (D. medius L.), The white-backed woodpecker (D. leucotos Bechstein), Grey-headed woodpecker (Picus canus Gmelin), Eurasian nuthatch (Sitta europaea L.), Eurasian treecreeper (Certhia familiaris L.), Short-toed treecreeper (C. brachydactyla Brehm), Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes L.), Common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs L.), European greenfinch (Chloris chloris L.), Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula L.), Eurasian siskin (Spinus spinus L.), Red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra L.), Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla L.), Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes L.), The goldcrest (Regulus regulus L.), Corn bunting (Emberiza calandra L.), Common buzzard (Buteo buteo L.).
 The most populated is the part of the arboretum, which is located at the top of the hill, where there are plantations of conifers, including yew, Amur cork tree grows. Ivy and mistletoe on the trees, attract birds throughout the year. The most important risk factor for birds is cats. A marten also occurs in the protected area. Care gardening has a pronounced negative effect on birds, especially during the nesting season. Such work includes pruning bushes, removing individual trees or dry branches, and removing fallen leaves. The collection of nuts, acorns and seeds is not carried out in full – for animals, there is always a significant supply of crops. No special animal protection measures have been implemented in the protected area. It would be appropriate to hang artificial nests in trees and inform people about the inadmissibility of semi-free keeping of cats that regularly hunt birds.

Vertebrate-eating jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) revisited: consumption of geckos and bird hatchlings

In this paper, vertebrate predation by jumping spiders (Salticidae) was revisited, taking into account incidents of this kind recently published in the scientific literature or on the internet. Our study revealed that vertebrate predation by salticids is more widespread than previously thought, geographically and taxonomically. Roughly ninety percent of all reported cases refer to predation on anurans (Hylidae and Ranixalidae) and lizards (Dactyloidae and Gekkonidae) by salticids from the subfamily Salticinae (Hyllus spp., Phidippus spp., and an unidentified species presumably related to Hasarius Simon, 1871). In the remaining cases, salticids from the subfamily Salticinae (Paraphidippus cf. aurantius (Lucas, 1833) and Phidippus audax (Hentz, 1845)) were observed attacking bird hatchlings (families Paridae and Trochilidae), weighing ≈4–6 times more than the spiders. In two instances, the spiders were observed biting the hatchlings, but only in one single case, a salticid was seen feeding on a hatchling.

A new species of Isospora (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from Carolina chickadee (Passeriformes: Paridae), from Oklahoma, USA.

The Carolina chickadee, Poecile carolinensis Audubon is a relatively small songbird belonging to the tit and chickadee family Paridae. Feces from three P. carolinensis from Polk County, Arkansas, USA, and a single P. carolinensis in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, USA, were collected and examined for coccidia; the latter bird was found to be passing a new species of Isospora. Oöcysts of Isospora oklahomaensis n. sp. are subspheroidal to ovoidal with a smooth to slightly-pitted bi-layered wall, measure (L × W) 32.1 × 28.3 µm, and have a length/width (L/W) ratio of 1.1; a micropyle and oöcyst residuum were absent but a bilobed and refractile polar granule is present. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal and measure 18.4 × 11.8 µm, L/W 1.6; a prominent Stieda body is present as well as a distinct sub-Stieda body. The sporocyst residuum is composed of an irregular mass of granules lying between and dispersed among the sporozoites. This is the first coccidian described from the Carolina chickadee and, most importantly, only the second described from a member of the Paridae, worldwide.

Behavioral snake mimicry in breeding tits.

Many animals mimic the behavior or the appearance of venomous snakes. When humans or other potential predators place their hand near the nest of tits belonging to the family Paridae (and a few other species), the incubating female performs a hissing display that mimics the inhalation hiss of a viper or another snake. They hiss vigorously while lunging their head forward and shaking their wings and tail, repeating this behavior several times. The structure of the hiss in tits is similar to that of the inhalation hiss of a snake, providing evidence of significant convergence of the mimic toward the model. The behavior of individual females is repeatable among trials. Individuals that flew away from their nest box only performed the hissing display on 6% of later trials, when present at their box, whereas individuals that did not fly away hissed on 28% of occasions, consistent with great tits Parus major either cautiously flying away or staying put on their nest while actively defending it. Individuals that flew away produced fewer chicks than individuals that stayed and hissed. The hissing display was more common when snakes were more abundant: 1) When breeding late during the season; 2) when breeding at sites with more snakes; and 3) when breeding in subtropical and tropical China with a higher abundance of snakes than in Denmark with a lower abundance. The frequency of nest predation was higher in sites with no snakes, and the frequency of predation increased with decreasing frequency of hissing display. These findings are consistent with expectations for frequency-dependent selection acting on snake mimicry.

Great tit responses to the calls of an unfamiliar species suggest conserved perception of call ordering

Many species of birds produce distinct calls when mobbing predators. These calls often recruit nearby conspecifics and heterospecifics to help drive the predators away. In some species, such as members of the family Paridae, mobbing calls are composed of multiple elements that seem to follow a characteristic order. Previous work in parids demonstrated that note ordering influences both the responses of conspecifics and some other co-occurring Paridae species. Cross-species sensitivity to note ordering could result from individuals’ learning to associate individual heterospecific calls with threats or, rather, because the typical note orderings are shared across species. Here, we test these hypotheses by assessing the responses of European great tits (Parus major) to the naturally and artificially ordered calls of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), a North American species. In response to the naturally ordered mobbing calls of chickadees, we found that great tits exhibit vigilance and rapidly approach the sound source, behaviors that were indistinguishable to those expressed in response to conspecific calls. If learned associations are necessary for sensitivity to note ordering, then a key prediction is that great tit responses to naturally ordered and artificially reversed chickadee calls should be similar (and weak). In contrast to this prediction, we found that great tits were less vigilant, but approach the sound source in response to artificially reversed chickadee calls. These findings suggest that perception of note ordering patterns is conserved. However, they are also in agreement with a “perception bias” hypothesis: that the first notes of the call mask the notes that follow them, preventing the receiver from perceiving the second part of the call. Although we provide evidence against perception bias, further research is needed to convincingly disentangle these two hypotheses. How do animals decode other species’ vocal sequences? Great tit responses to chickadee sequences depend on the ordering of their notes. Great tits and chickadees never encounter one another in the wild, but their alarm call sequences have similar note orderings. Using a series of playback experiments, we demonstrate that great tits respond strongest to chickadee calls whose order matches their own. Thus, response to unfamiliar calls does not depend on learning, but, rather, shared call ordering across species.

Foraging ecology drives social information reliance in an avian eavesdropping community.

Vertebrates obtain social information about predation risk by eavesdropping on the alarm calls of sympatric species. In the Holarctic, birds in the family Paridae function as sentinel species; however, factors shaping eavesdroppers' reliance on their alarm calls are unknown. We compared three hypothesized drivers of eavesdropper reliance: (a) foraging ecology, (b) degree of sociality, and (c) call relevance (caller‐to‐eavesdropper body‐size difference). In a rigorous causal‐comparative design, we presented Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) alarm calls to 242 individuals of 31 ecologically diverse bird species in Florida forests and recorded presence/absence and type (diving for cover or freezing in place) of response. Playback response was near universal, as individuals responded to 87% of presentations (N = 211). As an exception to this trend, the sit‐and‐wait flycatcher Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) represented 48% of the nonresponses. We tested 12 predictor variables representing measures relevant to the three hypothesized drivers, distance to playback speaker, and vulnerability at time of playback (eavesdropper's microhabitat when alarm call is detected). Using model‐averaged generalized linear models, we determined that foraging ecology best predicted playback response, with aerial foragers responding less often. Foraging ecology (distance from trunk) and microhabitat occupied during playback (distance to escape cover) best predicted escape behavior type. We encountered a sparsity of sit‐and‐wait flycatchers (3 spp.), yet their contrasting responses relative to other foraging behaviors clearly identified foraging ecology as a driver of species‐specific antipredator escape behavior. Our findings align well with known links between the exceptional visual acuity and other phenotypic traits of flycatchers that allow them to rely more heavily on personal rather than social information while foraging. Our results suggest that foraging ecology drives species‐specific antipredator behavior based on the availability and type of escape cover.

Carotenoid‐based coloration correlates with the hatching date of Blue TitCyanistes caeruleusnestlings

Carotenoid‐based coloration occurs predominantly in adult birds, yet in some species from the family Paridae, this trait is also present at the nestling stage. One of the factors proposed to affect the expression of this trait in immature birds is hatching date. Here, using the avian tetrahedral colour space model, we examined the influence of hatching date on the breast carotenoid‐based plumage coloration of the Blue TitCyanistes caeruleusnestlings. Because Blue Tits are sexually dichromatic, we also investigated the potential interaction between hatching date and sex that could arise from differences in condition dependence of this trait between males and females. We found a positive relationship betweenUVchroma of breast feathers and hatching date. The amount ofUVreflectance is thought to be negatively related to carotenoid content in feathers. The observed increase ofUVchroma through the breeding season might therefore be caused by a seasonal decline in the availability and quality of Lepidoptera larvae – the main source of carotenoids in food of the Tits. We also observed a sex difference in the relationship between brightness of breast feathers (achromatic, structural component) and hatching date, which in males was negative and in females not significant. Our study provides further evidence that the timing of breeding is related to the expression of nestling carotenoid‐based coloration, a potentially meaningful element of offspring–parent communication, and suggests a sex‐specific effect of hatching date on its structural component.

Subtle variations in mobbing calls are predator-specific in great tits (Parus major)

Many species are known to use vocalizations to recruit con- and heterospecifics to mobbing events. In birds, the vocalizations of the Family Paridae (titmice, tits and chickadees) are well-studied and have been shown to recruit conspecifics and encode information about predation risk. Species use the number of elements within a call, call frequency or call type to encode information. We conducted a study with great tits (Parus major) in the field where we presented taxidermy mounts of two predators of different threat levels (tawny owl, Strix aluco, and sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus) and compared the mobbing calls of these two contexts. We hypothesized, based on results of studies in other paridae species, that tits vary the number or type of elements of a call according to predatory context. We found great tits to vary the number of D elements and the interval between those elements. Great tits produced significantly longer D calls with more elements and longer intervals between elements when confronted with a sparrowhawk (high-threat) compared to a tawny owl (low-threat) mount. Furthermore, birds produced more D calls towards the high-threat predator. This suggests that the basic D calls are varied depending on threat intensity.

Ten new species of Brueelia Kéler, 1936 (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) from nuthatches (Aves: Passeriformes: Sittidae), tits and chickadees (Paridae), and goldcrests (Regulidae).

Ten new species of chewing lice in the genus Brueelia Kéler, 1936, are described from hosts in the families Paridae, Regulidae, and Sittidae. They are: Brueelia johnsoni n. sp. from Poecile sclateri eidos (Peters, 1927); Brueelia juniperi n. sp. from Baeolophus ridgwayi ridgwayi (Richmond, 1902); Brueelia kabulica n. sp. from Sitta tephronota tephronota Sharpe, 1872; Brueelia mpumalangensis n. sp. from Melaniparus niger niger (Vieillot, 1818); Brueelia nazae n. sp. from Parus cinereus caschmirensis Hartert, 1905; Brueelia oxyrhyncha n. sp. from Sitta nagaensis nagaensis Godwin-Austen, 1874; Brueelia picea. sp. from Parus major excelsus Buvry, 1857; Brueelia ragusica n. sp. from Sitta neumayer neumayer Michahelles, 1830; Brueelia regulicida n. sp. from Regulus calendula grinnelli Palmer, 1897; Brueelia sittacola n. sp. from Sitta carolinensis carolinensis Latham, 1790. Brueelia regulicida is the first Brueelia-complex louse to be described from the host family Regulidae. Collectively, the Brueelia of parid, regulid, and sittid hosts show two peculiar patterns. Firstly, lice on closely related hosts appear to be distantly related. Secondly, lice on most hosts in these families appear to be more closely related to lice on other host families than to each other. This contradicts the traditional view that Brueelia-complex lice on closely related hosts are themselves closely related. Potentially, the tendency of the hosts to participate in mixed-species feeding flocks may explain some of these patterns.

Comparative transcriptomics in three Passerida species provides insights into the evolution of avian mitochondrial complex I

Recent studies have shown that mitochondria play a crucial role in cellular energy production through the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system. Complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase), the first and largest enzyme complex of the OXPHOS system, includes both nuclear- and mitochondrial-encoded proteins. However, the patterns of natural selection and phylogenetic implications of complex I in birds still remain unclear. In this study, we combined transcriptomic and phylogenetic analyses to comprehensively determine the evolution of avian complex I. The transcriptomes of three Passerida species (Leiothrix lutea, Spodiopsar sericeus, and Passer montanus) were obtained using the Illumina HiSeq™ 2500 system. More than 192,000,000 clean reads were assembled in a total of 828,267 transcripts. Evolutionary selection analysis suggested that six genes of the core subunits in avian complex I may have undergone putative positive selection. Notably, we found that the mean dN/dS (ω) ratio for mitochondrial genes of core subunits was significantly lower than that for nuclear genes of non-core subunits within complex I. The constructed maximum-parsimony, maximum-likelihood, and Bayesian inference phylogenetic trees were based on 44 complex I genes. We verified that the family Paridae (represented by Parus major and Pseudopodoces humilis) was clustered with Musicicapoidea. Our results provide new insights into the evolution of avian mitochondrial complex I.

Urban environments are associated with earlier clutches and faster nestling feather growth compared to natural habitats

Urbanization creates new habitats with novel benefits and challenges not found in natural systems. How a species fares in urban habitats is largely dependent on its life history, yet predicting the response of individual species to urbanization remains a challenge. While some species thrive in urban areas, others do poorly or are not present at all. Mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) are year-round residents of montane regions of western North America. Commonly found in higher-elevation coniferous forests, these birds can also be found in urban areas where they will regularly visit bird feeders and nest in nest boxes. We monitored mountain chickadees nesting along a habitat gradient, from natural habitat to suburban areas, to determine if the degree of urbanization was associated with: clutch size and success; nestling growth rates; or variation in parental size and age. Females nesting in urbanized areas initiated clutches earlier in the breeding season than those in natural areas, but neither fledging success nor the rate of nestling mass-change differed between habitats. Nestling feather growth-rate increased with later first egg dates in both habitats, and the magnitude of this increase was greatest in urban habitats. We found no difference in the proportion of first-time breeders versus experienced breeders between habitat types, nor any differences in male or female mass or size. Our results indicate no detriment to nesting in urban habitats, suggesting mountain chickadees are able to adapt to moderate urbanization much like other members of the Paridae family.

Breeding Biology of Four Sympatric Tits In Northern Japan

ABSTRACT In order to understand evolution in life history strategies, it is useful to compare breeding parameters among closely related species and/or different habitats within the same species. The Paridae family, known as tits and chickadees, are suitable for such studies since they are distributed worldwide and use a variety of habitats. However, previous studies are mostly limited to populations in Europe and North America. Few studies have compared breeding biology in sympatric Paridae species. In this study, we investigated the breeding biology of Japanese Tits (Parus minor), Coal Tits (Periparus ater), Marsh Tits (Poecile palustris), and Varied Tits (Sittiparus varius) in a cool temperate forest of northern Japan. A previous study has shown that Japanese Tits have higher annual production (i.e., clutch size, rate of multiple brooding) compared to a European sister species, the Great Tit (Parus major), possibly because of greater diversity and abundance of prey items. Therefore, we predicted that an...

Nested PCR for Suttonella ornithocola reveals widespread infection in British Paridae species

Suttonella ornithocola, a bacterium in the Cardiobacteriaceae family, is postulated to act as a pathogen targeting the respiratory tract of wild birds in the tit families (Paridae and Aegithalidae). This organism has fastidious culture requirements, which might lead to missed detection; thus, a nested PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene was designed to provide an additional detection tool. DNA was extracted from combined lung and trachea samples from 114 birds in the Paridae and five in the Aegithalidae. These wild birds were found dead across England and Wales, 2005–2012 inclusive, and examined post-mortem. The PCR detected S. ornithocola in 15 birds from the Paridae family only: 11 blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), three great tits (Parus major) and one coal tit (Periparus ater). Derived sequences of the 16S rRNA gene had 100% identity to S. ornithocola from previous studies. Positive cases had a widespread geographical distribution across the study period with recurrent spring seasonality, consistent with an endemic infection. Incident history and pathological findings indicated that S. ornithocola infection was likely to be a significant contributory factor to the deaths of at least two birds (from two sites), was of equivocal significance in four birds (from four sites) and was an incidental finding in nine birds (from eight sites). Nested PCR detected S. ornithocola in ten birds for which microbiological examination of the lung was culture-negative for the bacterium. A combination of molecular, microbiological and histopathological examinations is recommended to further investigate the epidemiology and significance of S. ornithocola infection.