Abstract
Analysis of the impacts of social structure on the behaviour and life history of birds is a rapidly developing area of ornithology. Such studies commonly focus on the Paridae (tits and chickadees) as a model group, but detailed assessment of the basic social structure is lacking for many parids, particularly in the non-breeding season. Such baseline information is essential for understanding the organisation of bird populations, including associations between individuals within social and spatial networks. We assessed the non-breeding (autumn–winter) social structure and that during spring (i.e. the breeding season) for Coal Tits Periparus ater in broadleaved forest in southern Britain. Coal Tits were found to be resident and sedentary in this habitat, with birds remaining close to their spring territories during the non-breeding season and associating in small groups averaging 3–4 individuals. Associations were variable, however, with no evidence of stable flock membership, group territoriality or strong pair bonds during autumn–winter. The non-breeding social structure during a year of high population density did not differ from that during a year of low population density, being most similar to a ‘basic flock’ organisation. This contrasted with that predicted for a food-hoarding parid, highlighting the potential differences in social behaviour between different populations of bird species. Such variation in social behaviour can inform our understanding of the evolution of avian social structures and associated behavioural traits, such as food hoarding, and aid the interpretation of intra- and interspecific differences in behaviour.
Zusammenfassung
Soziale Struktur bei Tannenmeisen Periparus ater im Laubwald der gemäßigten Breiten
Die Erforschung der Auswirkungen der Sozialstruktur auf das Verhalten und die Biologie von Vogelarten ist ein sich rasch entwickelndes Teilgebiet der Ornithologie. Gemeinhin konzentrieren sich solche Studien auf die Meisen (Paridae) als Modellgruppe, für viele Meisenarten fehlt aber noch eine detaillierte Darstellung der grundlegenden Sozialstruktur, speziell außerhalb der Brutzeit. Solche elementaren Daten sind für ein Verständnis der Organisation von Vogelpopulationen – unter anderem der Beziehungen zwischen Individuen innerhalb sozialer und räumlicher Netzwerke – von entscheidender Bedeutung. Wir betrachteten die Sozialstruktur von Tannenmeisen Periparus ater in Laubwäldern des südlichen Großbritanniens, jeweils zur Brutzeit (Frühjahr) beziehungsweise außerhalb der Brutzeit (Herbst/Winter). Die Tannenmeisen erwiesen sich als ortstreu und ganzjährig an ihr Habitat gebunden; die Vögel blieben auch außerhalb der Brutzeit in der Nähe ihrer Frühjahrsreviere und bildeten kleine Gruppen von im Schnitt drei bis vier Individuen. Deren Zusammensetzung variierte jedoch und wir fanden keinerlei Hinweise auf eine feste Schwarmzugehörigkeit, Gruppenterritorialität oder eine starke Paarbindung während der Herbst- und Wintermonate. Außerhalb der Brutzeit gab es keine Unterschiede in der Sozialstruktur zwischen Jahren mit hoher beziehungsweise niedriger Populationsdichte, sondern diese ließ sich am besten als „Kernschwarm“-Verband beschreiben. Dies stellt eine Abweichung zu dem erwarteten Bild einer Vorräte anlegenden Meisenart dar und steht im Widerspruch zu einigen früheren Klassifikationen, was die potenzielle Plastizität des Sozialverhaltens zwischen Vogelpopulationen unterstreicht. Eine derartige Variation kann zum Verständnis der Evolution sozialer Strukturen sowie der damit zusammenhängenden Verhaltensweisen (wie beispielsweise dem Anlegen von Vorratsverstecken) bei Vögeln beitragen und für die Deutung inner- und zwischenartlicher Verhaltensunterschiede hilfreich sein.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Natural England for access to Monks Wood. This work was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.
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Communicated by F. Bairlein.
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Broughton, R.K., Maziarz, M. & Hinsley, S.A. Social structure of Coal Tits Periparus ater in temperate deciduous forest. J Ornithol 160, 117–126 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1594-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1594-4