CURRENT RESEARCH
Nests are predominately built to protect eggs and nestlings from predators and prevailing weather conditions. This leads to considerable variation in nest design and nest site selection. Variation can occur even within a species, within different populations in different environments, building nests from different materials or of a different structure. For example blue tits in Scotland use more feathers than their counterparts in London. The traditional view was that nest-building is a behaviour that is not modified by experience, but instead set out in a predetermined genetic template. Recent evidence suggests that there is though scope for learning and flexibility in nest-building behaviour (see Cognition in the Wild Lab for more information).
The main focus of The St Andrews Nestboxes Project is investigating the nest-building behaviour of the blue tit. All our fledglings, and the majority of adults, are given colour rings each year so we can identify individuals. Our current research breaks down into three main areas:
The main focus of The St Andrews Nestboxes Project is investigating the nest-building behaviour of the blue tit. All our fledglings, and the majority of adults, are given colour rings each year so we can identify individuals. Our current research breaks down into three main areas:
1. The role of temperature in nest building
Blue tit young development occurs within quite narrow temperatures, and anything above or below this can cause abnormal development and even death. The female, and occassionally the male, will use their body heat to maintain a constant temperature in the nest. When the local weather though is cold, or even too warm, the energy required by the parents to incubate the young can be dangerous to the parents health.
We know that blue tits (and other birds) build different nests in different areas. As you move south through the UK, female blue tits put less and less material in their nest cup. What we do not know is if blue tits are doing this knowingly. If you took a bird from Edinburgh and placed them in a garden in London would they build a different nest to the one they built up north?
This is where we come in. We are investigating if temperature effects the nest an individual bird builds. We are looking at the effect of temperature running up to the nest building period, the temperature over the duration of nest-building and also how temperature and an individual's nest differ from year to year.
Blue tit young development occurs within quite narrow temperatures, and anything above or below this can cause abnormal development and even death. The female, and occassionally the male, will use their body heat to maintain a constant temperature in the nest. When the local weather though is cold, or even too warm, the energy required by the parents to incubate the young can be dangerous to the parents health.
We know that blue tits (and other birds) build different nests in different areas. As you move south through the UK, female blue tits put less and less material in their nest cup. What we do not know is if blue tits are doing this knowingly. If you took a bird from Edinburgh and placed them in a garden in London would they build a different nest to the one they built up north?
This is where we come in. We are investigating if temperature effects the nest an individual bird builds. We are looking at the effect of temperature running up to the nest building period, the temperature over the duration of nest-building and also how temperature and an individual's nest differ from year to year.
2. The role of experience in nest building
Until the turn of the century many people were under the impression that the nest a bird built was set in stone; no matter what a builder experienced, they would never change the nest they built year on year. Recently it has come to light that there is room for learning in nest-building and individuals can be flexible in either what materials they select and/or where they build their nest.
As many of our blue tits are individually identifiable, we will be able to see if daughters build nests that are similiar to their mother's nest. We will also be able to see if an individual will build a different nest over time, for example starting later or earlier in the breeding season, building at a faster rate etc.
Until the turn of the century many people were under the impression that the nest a bird built was set in stone; no matter what a builder experienced, they would never change the nest they built year on year. Recently it has come to light that there is room for learning in nest-building and individuals can be flexible in either what materials they select and/or where they build their nest.
As many of our blue tits are individually identifiable, we will be able to see if daughters build nests that are similiar to their mother's nest. We will also be able to see if an individual will build a different nest over time, for example starting later or earlier in the breeding season, building at a faster rate etc.
3. The link between nest material and structure and an individual's breeding success
A female may show flexibility in how she builds a nest, and responds to local temperatures by adding more or less moss, but if this does not improve her breeding success would there be much point? We monitor breeding success of nests and investigate the link between nest morphology and individual breeding success. We also investigate how success one year may affect the nest a female builds in a subsequent year.
A female may show flexibility in how she builds a nest, and responds to local temperatures by adding more or less moss, but if this does not improve her breeding success would there be much point? We monitor breeding success of nests and investigate the link between nest morphology and individual breeding success. We also investigate how success one year may affect the nest a female builds in a subsequent year.