Inter-annual and inter-habitat variation in breeding performance of Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) in central Poland

Studies at various locations in Europe show that nest-box populations of tits in urban areas lay earlier and produce fewer eggs than do birds in rural areas. Long-term data on laying date and clutch size were studied for Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) populations in two, structurally and floristically contrasting sites (an urban parkland and a rich decidu-ous forest, located only 10 km apart) in central Poland. The peak abundance of caterpillars, the optimal food of breeding tits, was also studied at both breeding areas. We focused on four environmental factors; year, site, insect availability and ambient temperature. Birds initiated breeding earlier in the urban area compared to the forest area and the laying date was highly correlated with air temperature during the period between 15 March and 15 April. At both study areas there was a similar negative temporal trend – birds started breeding earlier with later years. The number of eggs laid per breeding pair tended to be lower in the parkland than in the forest and it is likely that this is due to the habitat-specific pattern of food abundance and patchy environment in the parkland. This study provides new data on the reproductive biology of a model species and also fills up some knowledge gaps concerning inter-habitat and macro-geographic patterns

Spatial and temporal variation in heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratios of nestling passerine birds: comparison of blue tits and great tits.

Environmental factors affecting trophic conditions act as stressors on nestling altricial birds. Access of parental birds to a sufficient supply of food in a limited period of the nestling stage differ in time and space, depending on nesting habitat, prey density and weather conditions. Heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (H/L) is considered as a reliable indicator of prolonged stress reaction in birds. In this study we examine if variation in H/L shows consistent spatio-temporal patterns in nestlings of two parids, blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus and great tit Parus major. We found that blue tit nestlings had on average higher H/L than great tit nestlings, which corresponds with the ecological sensitivity of these species. In both species H/L was higher in a poor parkland habitat than in a high quality forest habitat. In nestling blue tits, higher H/L values occurred in years characterized by more extreme weather conditions and worse caterpillar availability. Such consistent patterns of variation in the H/L ratio of nestling blue tits and great tits suggest that, when age-dependent effects are controlled, the ratio can be used as an indicator of physiological stress that is generated by food-related stressors differing in space and time. In particular, elevated H/L ratios are indicative of human-induced changes in the structure of breeding habitats

Comparison of the forest site and the parkland site with respect to inter-annual variation in the peak abundance of tree-canopy caterpillars, as measured by the peak amount of caterpillar frassfall.

<p>Comparison of the forest site and the parkland site with respect to inter-annual variation in the peak abundance of tree-canopy caterpillars, as measured by the peak amount of caterpillar frassfall.</p

Results of a mixed model ANCOVA for the H/L ratio of nestling blue tits, with wing length as covariate and year and site as factors.

<p>Results of a mixed model ANCOVA for the H/L ratio of nestling blue tits, with wing length as covariate and year and site as factors.</p

Descriptive characteristics of May weather in Łódź in the study years.

<p>Descriptive characteristics of May weather in Łódź in the study years.</p

Comparison of blue tit and great tit nestlings in relation to inter-annual variation in mean H/L ratios.

<p>Sample sizes are shown as the number of nestlings and, in parentheses, as the number of broods.</p

Comparison of blue tit and great tit nestlings in relation to inter-site variation in mean H/L ratios.

<p>Sample sizes are shown as the number of nestlings and, in parentheses, as the number of broods.</p

Results of a mixed model ANOVA for the H/L ratio of nestling great tits, with year and site as factors.

<p>Results of a mixed model ANOVA for the H/L ratio of nestling great tits, with year and site as factors.</p