Specific Nest Site Research Articles

Nest site fidelity and nesting success of female wild turkeys

AbstractNest site fidelity is a common behavioral trait among birds that can positively influence reproductive success when there is spatial heterogeneity and temporal predictability in nest site quality. Nest site fidelity in wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) has received little attention in the literature despite providing a potential link to nesting success. We used data from 32 female wild turkeys across 8 field sites ranging from South Carolina to Texas with 2 consecutive years of nest data to determine if females showed fidelity to nest sites, if distance between nest locations in consecutive years predicted nest success in the second year, and if females showed fidelity to specific areas within home ranges (patches) for nesting. Females tended to nest closer to previously successful nests (median distance = 920 m) than to unsuccessful nests (median distance = 1550 m) in the second year; however, we documented no evidence of fidelity to specific nest sites. There was widespread reuse of prelaying (89.5%) and laying (77.8%) ranges by females between years, indicating some evidence for patch fidelity. The lack of evidence for nest site fidelity may be a result of the temporally dynamic nature of turkey nesting cover and ubiquity of predation risk across the southeastern U.S, which ecological theory predicts would not provide the reproductive benefits of fidelity that hinge on predictability. Fidelity to patches within home ranges may represent an always‐stay approach, which is expected when the cost of dispersing to new breeding areas outweighs potential benefits and may allow females to draw on prior knowledge of areas within their home ranges. Although distance between nests was not a significant predictor of nest success, females that nested successfully in the first year had a probability of 0.63 of successfully nesting in the second year, whereas unsuccessful females had probability of success of 0.08 in the second year. The tracking of individual nesting success across years warrants further research, as our results imply that a disproportionate percentage of reproduction through time may be attributed to a subset of females that are consistently successful, which may have implications for our understanding of reproductive dynamics in low productivity populations.

Coevolution between Himalayan cuckoos and 2 sympatric Pycnonotidae hosts.

Selection due to cuckoo parasitism is responsible for the evolution of anti-parasitism defenses in hosts. Different host species breeding sympatrically with a single parasitic cuckoo may evolve different strategies to reduce the risk of counter cuckoo parasitism, resulting in different interactions between cuckoos and hosts in areas of sympatry. Here, we studied the coevolutionary interactions between Himalayan cuckoos Cuculus saturatus and 2 sympatric and closely related potential hosts belonging to the family Pycnonotidae, the brown-breasted bulbul Pycnonotus xanthorrhous and the collared finchbill Spizixos semitorques. We investigated parasitism rates and nest-site selection (nest height, nest cover, human disturbance, perch height, forest distance, and degree of concealment) related to parasitism risk, nest defense against a cuckoo dummy, and egg rejection against cuckoo model eggs. Bulbuls used specific nest sites that were further away from forests than those of finchbills, and they behaved more aggressively toward cuckoos than finchbills. In contrast, bulbuls possessed moderate egg rejection ability, whereas the finchbill rejected 100% of cuckoo model eggs. We suggest that selection of a nest site away from forests by the bulbul explains the absence of parasitism by Himalayan cuckoos. We suggest that these interspecific differences in nest-site selection and nest defense indicate alternative responses to selection due to cuckoos.

Site Fidelity of Oyster Reef Blennies and Gobies in Saltmarsh Tidal Creeks

Blennies and gobies are among the most abundant fishes in western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico estuaries. They establish nests and maintain territories in oyster reefs and around other shallow-water structures during warm months. In this study, site fidelity and movements were determined for adult striped blenny, naked goby, freckled blenny, crested blenny, and feather blenny, in descending order of abundance. Recaptures among 221 tagged fishes at nine intertidal oyster reefs in a southeastern U.S. saltmarsh estuary provided information about fidelity for individual oyster reefs and nest sites as well as the size of territories (areas used) around nest sites. An overall recapture rate of 94% for fishes on reefs where they were tagged indicated high fidelity. Total recapture rates for the four blenny species ranged from 38 to 50%, but the naked goby recapture rate was only 9%. Within a breeding season, fidelity for specific nest sites was 58% for all blennies and 17% for gobies. Movements away from nest sites were limited with 56% of all fishes re-occurring ≤ 1 m from the original tagging site. Territories of 84% of the recaptured fishes. Differences in species composition and abundance between reefs suggested species-specific preferences for habitat features. Crested blenny and freckled blenny were recaptured at nest sites with significantly more oyster cover than nest sites occupied by striped blenny. Blennies occupied nest sites for several months and across annual breeding seasons suggesting continued residency within small areas of individual oyster reefs throughout their lives. Strong fidelity for reefs and nest sites potentially makes blennies more susceptible to disturbances than gobies, but both may be vulnerable to habitat disturbance at scales < 5 m. Thus, blennies and gobies may be useful indicator species for changes within estuarine habitats and ecosystems.

Old nest material functions as an informative cue in making nest-site selection decisions in the European Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

BackgroundFor secondary cavity-nesting bird species that do not add lining materials to nests, the presence of old nest material or organic remains that have accumulated within nest cavities from previous breeding events may be a cue of nest-site quality. These materials potentially contain information about past breeding success in con- and heterospecifics and may improve the thermal insulation of eggs during incubation. However, few studies have addressed whether the presence of old nest materials serves as a cue for cavity-nesting raptors when choosing specific nest sites.MethodsWe conducted a 9-year nest box experiment to test whether old nest materials from con- and heterospecifics serve as informative cues to the European Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) when making nest selection decisions, as this species uses nest boxes without adding nesting material.ResultsThe presence of old nest materials and entrance size best discriminated nest boxes occupied by European Kestrels from unoccupied boxes. Nest boxes containing conspecific organic remains, artificial dry leaf and branch material, and material left behind by Great Tits (Parus major) were reused at higher rates, especially those containing conspecific nest material, than nest boxes containing true or simulated nest materials from predators. In 2010, no single nest box was occupied by the same banded individual that occupied the box in the previous year (10 females and 2 males were banded in 2009).ConclusionsEuropean Kestrels preferred nest boxes containing old nest material over empty boxes, which is consistent with previous findings that they exploit con- and heterospecific cues when deciding where to settle and breed, as old nest or organic material provides substrate for incubating females. Kestrels may be able to assess the predation risks associated with a specific nest site based on experience or the presence of prey remains. The repeated use of nest boxes across breeding seasons by kestrels cannot be entirely ascribed to philopatry. This study provides evidence that old nest materials are potentially used as informative cues when making nest-site selection decisions in European Kestrels.

Interspecific information on predation risk affects nest site choice in a passerine bird

BackgroundBreeding site choice constitutes an important part of the species niche. Nest predation affects breeding site choice, and has been suggested to drive niche segregation and local coexistence of species. Interspecific social information use may, in turn, result in copying or rejection of heterospecific niche characteristics and thus affect realized niche overlap between species. We tested experimentally whether a migratory bird, the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca, collects information about nest predation risk from indirect cues of predators visiting nests of heterospecific birds. Furthermore, we investigated whether the migratory birds can associate such information with a specific nest site characteristic and generalize the information to their own nest site choice.ResultsOur results demonstrate that flycatchers can use the fate of heterospecific nesting attempts in their own nest site choice, but do so selectively. Young flycatcher females, when making the decision quickly, associated the fate of an artificial nest with nest-site characteristics and avoided the characteristic associated with higher nest predation risk.ConclusionsCopying nest site choices of successful heterospecifics, and avoiding choices which led to failed attempts, may amplify or counter effects of nest predation on niche overlap, with important consequences for between-species niche divergence-convergence dynamics, species coexistence and predator-prey interactions.

Collective decision making in the red dwarf honeybee Apis florea: do the bees simply follow the flowers?

Most studies on collective decision making in honeybees have been performed on the cavity-nesting Western honeybee, Apis mellifera. In more recent years, the open-nesting red dwarf honeybee Apis florea has been developed as a model organism of collective decision making in the context of nest-site selection. These studies have shown that the specifics of the species’ nest-site requirements affect collective decision making. In particular, when potential nesting sites are abundant, as is the case in A. florea, the process of collective decision making can be simplified. Here, we ask if A. florea simply follows the availability of floral resources in their environment when deciding on an area to move into. We determined the locations danced for by three colonies the day before, of and after reproductive swarming. Our results suggest that colonies of A. florea indeed track the availability of forage in their environment and that swarms move in the general direction of forage rather than towards a specific nest site.

Red-throated Caracara, a falconid raptor, rivals predatory impact of army ants on social wasps

Paper wasps are diverse in Neotropical rainforests but the factors that affect their abundance are poorly understood. Army ants (Ecitoninae) are generally thought to have the greatest predatory impact on populations of social wasps, but there is emerging evidence that predatory birds could also be a significant source of colony mortality. Our objectives were to (1) identify the genera of wasps preyed upon by Ibycter americanus (Falconidae), a specialist predator of Neotropical social wasps, (2) quantify wasp nest predation by I. americanus, and (3) compare wasp nest predation rates by I. americanus with calculated rates of wasp nest predation by Eciton burchellii army ants. In 2008 and 2009, we video recorded chick provisioning at I. americanus nests in French Guiana and found that adult birds brought nests of at least ten genera of mainly swarm-founding wasps (Epiponini). In 2012, we noted that three of four sympatric Eciton species raided into trees and thus potentially preyed upon the brood of paper wasps at the same site. We quantified the population density of one Eciton species, calculated its rate of wasp nest predation, and compared this predation rate to that of I. americanus. We conclude that I. americanus rivals the predatory impact of E. burchellii army ants on some populations of Neotropical social wasps. Ibycter americanus and other diurnal vertebrate predators may exert strong selection on wasp defensive behavior, resulting in defensive adaptations that include selection of specific nest sites as well as physical fortification and visual crypsis of nests.

Nest Site Preparation and Reproductive Output of the European Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris)

Hole-nesting birds are faced with the problem of dealing with the presence of nests from previous seasons. In a few species, specific nest site preparation behaviour has evolved, whereby birds remove part or all of old nest and only later build a new one. Such behaviour has not been studied in any great detail. European Starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris) were allowed to breed in nestboxes that were empty or contained old nests from a previous year. The material of old nests was marked so it was possible to evaluate the amount of material that was removed by the bird itself. Additional observations were carried out to study the temporal aspect of such nest site preparation. Birds started old nest removal soon after arrival at the breeding location, around one month before egg laying. Birds with the highest cleaning effort, i.e. removed a larger part of the old nest, began laying eggs later, laid fewer eggs and brought food to nestlings less frequently. Besides wing length, there was no relationship between cleaning efforts and fledgling body mass nor tarsus length. Nest site preparation did not decrease the load of fleas in nests. Time and energy invested in the removal of an old nest may negatively affect the entire reproductive cycle. Other hypotheses connected with nest site preparation and low reproductive output are discussed.

Dark tree cavities – a challenge for hole nesting birds?

Holes provide the safest nest sites for birds, but they are an underutilized resource; in natural forests there are usually more holes than birds that could use them. Some bird species could be prevented from nesting in holes because of their inability to operate in the low light conditions which occur in cavities. As no visual system can operate in complete darkness some nest cavities could be too dark to be useable even by hole‐nesters. Thus, the light conditions within tree cavities could constrain both the evolution of the hole nesting habit, and the nest site choice of the hole‐nesting birds. These ideas cannot be tested because little is known about the light conditions in cavities. We took an opportunity provided by ongoing studies of marsh tits Poecile palustris and great tits Parus major breeding in a primeval forest (Białowieża National Park, Poland) to measure illumination inside their nest cavities. We measured illuminance in cavities at daybreak, which is just after the parents commenced feeding nestlings. Only ca 1% of incoming light reached the level of the nest. Illuminance at nests of both species (median = 0.1–0.2 lx) fell within mesopic‐scotopic range, where colour vision is impaired. Measurements in model cavities showed strong declines in illumination with distance from the entrance, with light levels typically as low as 0.01 lx at 40 cm from the cavity entrance. Thus cavities can be very dark, often too dark for the use of colour vision, and we suggest that ‘lighting’ requirements can affect the adoption of specific nest sites by hole nesting birds. We discuss implications of the findings for understanding the adaptations for hole‐breeding in birds.

Snowy plover nest site selection, spatial patterning, and temperatures in the Southern High Plains of Texas

AbstractSnowy plover (Charadrius nivosus) populations have declined throughout their range, in part because of habitat degradation and poor nest success, making information regarding regionally specific nest site selection and spatial patterns important when considering habitat conservation and management guidelines. We determined nest site selection characteristics (n = 180) and examined spatial patterns (n = 215) of snowy plover nests in saline lakes in the Southern High Plains (SHP) of Texas. At 104 nests, we examined the influence of substrate type on nest temperatures and heat mitigation. Snowy plover nests were more likely to be found near an object, on pebble substrate, and with fewer plants than random sites. High use areas were generally located in areas with pebble substrate and on human‐made or natural islands, berms, and peninsulas. Overall, nests placed on pebble substrate had lower temperatures during the day than nests placed on sand substrates. Nest placement on pebble substrate may be valuable to nesting snowy plovers, providing thermal advantages to incubating adults and depressing potentially high nest predation rates. Management guidelines for this region should emphasize the importance of addressing key elements of snowy plover nesting habitat including the presence of pebble substrate and reducing vegetation encroachment. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.

Living archaeology: Artefacts of specific nest site fidelity in wild chimpanzees

Savanna chimpanzees are known to re-use areas of the landscape for sleep, and patterns of chimpanzee sleeping site re-use are proposed as a referential model for early hominin archaeological site formation. We recorded the prevalence of deformed but healed branches and remnants of dead branches found around fresh nests at the savanna site of Issa in Ugalla, Tanzania. These old nest scars were found in 79% of 112 beds. We also randomly selected potential nesting locations for a subset of 32 beds within the same trees, and found nest scars in only 19% of these “control” locations. We then monitored 275 nests for up to 19 months for decay, regeneration of new branches, and re-use. Of these 275 nest locations, 24% were re-used within the first nine months of monitoring, and most re-use occurred when the nest had already decayed and was not easily visible from the ground. After 18 months, the proportion of specific nest positions re-used increased to 48%. This fidelity is likely a result of the creation of ideally-shaped support structures and supple new growth for mattress material with successive use of nest locations. We propose that specific nest site re-use may not be a direct product of environmental determination, but a result of “niche construction” through formation of good building sites within trees. Environmental modification through construction behaviour may have influenced both chimpanzee and early hominin ranging, and thus leaves behind recognisable patterns of artefact deposition across the landscape.

Sow preferences for farrowing under a cover with and without access to straw

In semi-natural environments sows often select a protected nest site at farrowing. Investigations of nest site selection under indoor conditions are scarce but suggest that sows prefer to nest and farrow under a covered area. Since feed-back from a functional nest may improve maternal behaviour and thus piglet survival we investigated if access to a covered area and ad libitum access to straw would improve maternal behaviour of importance for piglet survival. We used forty-four primiparous sows housed in large individual pens from approximately 2 weeks prior to expected parturition. The sows were randomly distributed to four treatment groups of +/− ad libitum access to straw combined with +/− access to a covered area in the pen. The sows’ position in the pen (left or right side) was observed from 24 h prior to birth of the first piglet until 24 h after using 10-min interval scan sampling and the temporal pattern of sow position in relation to position of the cover (left or right side of the pen) was studied. Furthermore, postural and nest-building behaviours were observed, as well as situations where the piglets were either at risk of being crushed or were crushed. The results showed no significant influence of cover on sow position. Odds-ratio for choosing the covered farrowing position was 1.4 (95% creditability interval (0.4–5.1)). The temporal pattern of sow position showed that the probability of observing the sows in the part of the pen classified as the farrowing position increased from close to 0.5 to 1 as parturition approached and stayed high during the 24 h observation period after birth of the first piglet, except for a small drop around 12 h after birth of the first piglet. However, the tendency to stay in the nest during farrowing was not increased neither by cover nor by ad libitum access to straw. Access to cover significantly increased prepartum nest-building behaviour ( F 1,29 = 4.27, P = 0.05) whereas there was no significant influence of access to straw. However, it should be taken into account that all sows had access to sawdust on the floor, which may also serve as a nesting material. The number of crushing and near crushing situations within 24 h after birth of first piglet (BFP) was significantly decreased in pens with access to straw ( F 1,25 = 4.50, P = 0.04), whereas there was no significant influence of cover on this variable. Neither the number of scan intervals with lateral lying nor the number of postural changes were significantly influenced by cover or straw. In conclusion, the sows did select a specific nest site within the farrowing pen, but neither the choice of nest site nor the temporal consistency of staying in the nest were significantly affected by cover or ad libitum access to straw. Access to a covered area increased the occurrence of nest-building behaviour whereas access to straw reduced the number of near crushing situations.

Mating and Nesting Behavior of the Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos) in the Northern Portion of its Range

While conducting a study of home range and habitat use of the eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) in Southern Ontario, we observed both mating and nesting behaviors for this species. Here we describe the active excavation of oviposition sites by H. platirhinos; mating behavior, including multiple copulations of a single female with five males; and philopatry to specific nest sites by multiple individuals in successive years. As our study site is close to the northern limit of this species' range, nest sites may need to be carefully selected to provide a thermal regime warm enough to incubate the eggs. Mean nest temperatures in the field ranged from 23.4 to 26.1 C, while incubation periods ranged from 49 to 63 d.

Orientation in the wandering albatross: interfering with magnetic perception does not affect orientation performance

After making foraging flights of several thousands of kilometers, wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) are able to pinpoint a specific remote island where their nests are located. This impressive navigation ability is highly precise but its nature is mysterious. Here we examined whether albatrosses rely on the perception of the Earth's magnetic field to accomplish this task. We disturbed the perception of the magnetic field using mobile magnets glued to the head of nine albatrosses and compared their performances with those of 11 control birds. We then used satellite telemetry to monitor their behavior. We found that the ability of birds to home specific nest sites was unimpaired by this manipulation. In particular, experimental and control birds did not show significant differences with respect to either foraging trip duration, or length, or with respect to homing straightness index. Our data suggest that wandering albatrosses do not require magnetic cues to navigate back to their nesting birds.

Nest site selection by yellow‐faced honeyeaters Lichenostomus chrysops

When choosing subsequent nest sites, species that produce multiple broods in a single breeding season have the option of dispersing from a site where they previously suffered depredation, i.e., a predator‐avoidance tactic. In our study on yellow‐faced honeyeaters Lichenostomus chrysops it was found that 89% of nest failures were attributed to nest depredation, the primary cause of reproductive failure. Pairs re‐nested further from depredated nesting attempts than from successful nesting attempts and progressively higher above the ground as the breeding season progressed. Pairs nesting in dioecious Coprosma quadrifida plants only nested in non‐fruiting male plants. Artificial nests were used to test the hypothesis that nest height and plant preferences were strategies to reduce the risk of depredation. There was no evidence that either higher nests or nests in non‐fruiting C. quadrifida achieved reduced levels of depredation during 14 days of artificial nest exposure. Specific nest site characteristics were not found to be associated with nest outcome for either natural or artificial nests. Our study provides further evidence that species may choose a diverse range of nest sites in order to avoid predators from developing specific search images and then, following depredation, compensate by rapidly re‐nesting away from the failed attempt.

Nesting Biology of the Golden Bowerbird Prionodura newtoniana Endemic to Australian Upland Tropical Rainforest

SummaryGolden Bowerbirds Prionodura newtoniana nests (n = 86) were studied on the Paluma Range, north Queensland during 1978–89. Nesting began in late October; 93% of clutches were incubated during November-January and 64% of fledglings left the nest in January. Breeding failed in one season, apparently due to lack of food. Nests were deep, bulky, open cups typically built within a ‘roofed’ vertical crevice in a tree trunk (63%) or in a crevice-like site, mostly < 3 m above ground. Several nesting locations or specific nest sites were used more than once, sometimes by the same female. Nest sites averaged 97 m from a bower actively attended by an adult male. Nests took up to 25 days to construct and were laid in from 3–28 days after completion. Of 26 clutches, 65% were of two eggs and 35% of one (mean 1.7). At laying an egg was 13.6% of mean adult female weight. Only one female incubated, brooded and fed young at each nest. Eggs were incubated for 21–23 days in bouts averaging 18 min at 1.8 bouts per h. Nestling period was 17–20 days. During the first 13 days of nestling life, females spent 13% less time brooding two nestlings than one. A mean of 3.3 meals per h was provided for one nestling and 5.9 for two; of 408 identified meals, 68% were fruit and the rest animal, mainly insects. Nearly half the fruit meals were of four species of Elaeocarpaceae and > 45% of insect meals was cicadas; more fruit was fed to older nestlings. One to three days before nest departure mean nestling weight was 75% and mean wing length 52% that of adults. Fifty-six per cent of eggs hatched and 58% of nestlings fledged; 34% of eggs produced fledglings and overall nest success was 28%. Females produced 0.5 fledglings per year. We compare these data with those for three other bowerbird species.

Nest and Egg Crypsis in the Ground-Nesting Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus

We studied the selective advantage of nest and egg crypsis in the Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus. Experimental removal of camouflaging nest material resulted in replacement of a similar amount and size of nest material for the specific nest site. The match between the colour of the eggs and the ground was usually perfect and mismatches in coloration increased the predation rate by visually searching avian nest predators. Both nest building and choice of nest substrate appeared to increase crypsis and improved hatching success.

Nests: Living Artefacts of Recent Apes?

Previous articleNext article No AccessReportsNests: Living Artefacts of Recent Apes?Barbara Fruth and Gottfried HohmannBarbara Fruth Search for more articles by this author and Gottfried Hohmann Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Current Anthropology Volume 35, Number 3Jun., 1994 Sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/204281 Views: 6Total views on this site Citations: 17Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1994 The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological ResearchPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Mattia Bessone, Lambert Booto, Antonio R. Santos, Hjalmar S. Kühl, Barbara Fruth, Frank H. Koch No time to rest: How the effects of climate change on nest decay threaten the conservation of apes in the wild, PLOS ONE 16, no.66 (Jun 2021): e0252527.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252527R. Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar, Trond Reitan Deciding Where to Sleep: Spatial Levels of Nesting Selection in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) Living in Savanna at Issa, Tanzania, International Journal of Primatology 41, no.66 (Dec 2020): 870–900.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-020-00186-zAlejandra Pascual-Garrido Scars on plants sourced for termite fishing tools by chimpanzees: Towards an archaeology of the perishable, American Journal of Primatology 80, no.99 (Oct 2018): e22921.https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22921Barbara Fruth, Nikki Tagg, Fiona Stewart Sleep and nesting behavior in primates: A review, American Journal of Physical Anthropology 166, no.33 (Jul 2018): 499–509.https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23373Michael Petraglia Hominins on the move: An assessment of anthropogenic shaping of environments in the Palaeolithic, (May 2017): 90–118.https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316686942.005David Morgan, Crickette Sanz, Jean Robert Onononga, Samantha Strindberg Factors Influencing the Survival of Sympatric Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) Nests, International Journal of Primatology 37, no.66 (Dec 2016): 718–737.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-016-9934-9F.A. Stewart, A.K. Piel, W.C. McGrew Living archaeology: Artefacts of specific nest site fidelity in wild chimpanzees, Journal of Human Evolution 61, no.44 (Oct 2011): 388–395.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.05.005Russell N. James The Origin of Spaces: Understanding Residential Satisfaction from Ape Nests, Human Cultures and the Hierarchy of Natural Housing Functions, Housing, Theory and Society 27, no.44 (Oct 2009): 279–295.https://doi.org/10.1080/14036090903160018J.D. Pruetz, S.J. Fulton, L.F. Marchant, W.C. McGrew, M. Schiel, M. Waller Arboreal nesting as anti-predator adaptation by savanna chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in southeastern Senegal, American Journal of Primatology 70, no.44 (Jan 2008): 393–401.https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20508Jamie L. Horvath, Megan Croswell, Robert C. O’Malley, W. C. McGrew Plant Species with Potential as Food, Nesting Material, or Tools at a Chimpanzee Refuge Site in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, International Journal of Primatology 28, no.11 (Feb 2007): 135–158.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-006-9106-4Jessica M. Rothman, Alice N. Pell, Ellen S. Dierenfeld, Colleen M. Mccann Plant choice in the construction of night nests by gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, American Journal of Primatology 68, no.44 (Jan 2006): 361–368.https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20230Chris Herzfeld, Dominique Lestel Knot tying in great apes: etho-ethnology of an unusual tool behavior, Social Science Information 44, no.44 (Dec 2005): 621–653.https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018405058205James R. Anderson Sleep-related behavioural adaptations in free-ranging anthropoid primates, Sleep Medicine Reviews 4, no.44 (Aug 2000): 355–373.https://doi.org/10.1053/smrv.2000.0105Dominique Lestel, Emmanuelle Grundmann Tools, techniques and animals: the role of mediations of actions in the dynamics of social behaviours, Social Science Information 38, no.33 (Sep 1999): 367–407.https://doi.org/10.1177/053901899038003002Jeanne Sept Shadows on a changing landscape: Comparing nesting patterns of hominids and chimpanzees since their last common ancestor, American Journal of Primatology 46, no.11 (Jan 1998): 85–101.https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-2345(1998)46:1&lt;85::AID-AJP7&gt;3.0.CO;2-RTONY L GOLDBERG, RICHARD W WRANGHAM Genetic correlates of social behaviour in wild chimpanzees: evidence from mitochondrial DNA, Animal Behaviour 54, no.33 (Sep 1997): 559–570.https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1996.0450B. Thierry, G. Theraulaz, J.Y. Gautier, B. Stiegler Joint memory, Behavioural Processes 35, no.1-31-3 (Dec 1995): 127–140.https://doi.org/10.1016/0376-6357(95)00039-9

Host, nest, and ecological relationships of species of Protocalliphora (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

A total of 4781 nests of 110 species of birds was examined for the presence of Protocalliphora in several localities in Ontario, Canada, and the intermountain region of northern Utah. Twenty species belonging to this genus were found in 1621 (33.8%) nests of 73 avian species. Some species, such as P. chrysorrhoea and P. halli, showed strong host preferences, whereas others, such as P. metallica and P. interrupta, preferred specific nest environments. The nests of birds that live in colonies and (or) return to the same site annually were more frequently and heavily infested than those of other birds. In Utah, where 17 species of Protocalliphora occurred, most species showed a degree of host preference, whereas in Ontario, where there were only 9 species, most species preferred specific nest sites. Of the 20 species of Protocalliphora collected during this study, 3 were found exclusively in Ontario and 11 in Utah, with 6 species common to both study areas.

Nest characteristics and recruitment behavior of absconding colonies of the African honey bee,Apis mellifera scutellata, in Africa

Absconding behavior was investigated in a naturally occurring population of honey bees in the Okavango River Delta, Botswana. Fifty percent of all colonies excavated in the field between October and December had abandoned the nest or were preparing for absconding, suggesting that an “absconding season” began in the Delta in October or November. However, the factors influencing absconding during this period were unclear, and there were no distinct differences in nest characteristics of the absconding and nonabsconding colonies. Waggle dance activity in observation colonies preparing for absconding was not used to preselect a specific nest site prior to departure. However, in two of the three colonies examined recruitment activity indicated the general direction of colony travel. The distances indicated by these dancers ranged between 6 and 16 km. Since these distances were three to four times greater than those communicated by dancers in nonabsconding colonies, workers from absconding colonies may sample potential forage or nest sites well outside their regular foraging range.