Abstract
Nest-dismantling behavior in birds is considered a fitness-maximizing adaptive behavior. Here, we compared nest-dismantling behavior and associated predation rates and nest characteristics in yellow-bellied prinia (Prinia flaviventris) on mainland China and the island of Taiwan during the breeding season from 2010 to 2014. Our results indicated that the proportion of individuals showing nest-dismantling behavior was higher on the island than on the mainland (29.3 vs. 0.8%). Nest-dismantling behavior was most frequent at the peak of the breeding season and mainly involved removing the upper halves of the nests and reusing the materials to construct new nests. The time taken to dismantle old nests and use the materials to build new ones was shorter than the time needed to build completely new nests. Nest predation, fidelity to the nest site, distance between old and new nests, and the costs of searching for nest materials could influence nest-dismantling behavior. Our results suggested that saving time and energy searching for new nest materials was the primary motivation behind nest-dismantling behavior in yellow-bellied prinia.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Rita Covas and two revivers for their helpful comments. We would also like to thank Ian Will from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, and Aiwu Jiang, Qiuli Huang, Demeng Jiang, and Yungao Hu for their assistance with fieldwork in Guangxi.
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 31660617 to LW, 31472013 and 31772453 to WL) and the Initial Fund Key Laboratories of Guizhou Province (grant no. 2011-4005) to LW.
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The studies reported in this paper conform to the laws in the countries in which they were performed. Experimental procedures were in agreement with the Animal Research Ethics Committee of Hainan Provincial Education Centre for Ecology and Environment, Hainan Normal University (permit no. HNECEE-2011-005).
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Wang, L., Cheng, SJ., Hsu, YC. et al. Nest-dismantling behavior of yellow-bellied prinia in mainland and island populations. acta ethol 21, 35–41 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-017-0281-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-017-0281-4