Abstract
Anti-predator behaviour of breeding animals is a complex trait that depends on current reproductive investment as well as individual differences in risk-taking propensities. In response to nest predation, many bird species produce specific sounds, such as the hissing calls in incubating great tits (Parus major), that may provoke an acoustic startle response in the predator. However, it is still unclear whether the propensity of incubating females to produce hissing calls towards nest predators depends on the reproductive investment. With our 3-year study, we show that response type (females that do not hiss versus females giving hissing calls) to a potential nest predator, the woodpecker, is a repeatable trait. We found no differences in the studied reproductive traits between hissing and non-hissing birds. Interestingly, among hissing birds, fast-responding females started egg-laying earlier than slow-responding ones. Among non-hissing birds, heavier birds initiated clutches earlier. We also revealed that hissing birds breed in areas with decreased nest-box occupancy, suggesting either that they potentially select different areas to breed or that territory size is larger as a result of hissing birds being more aggressive. These findings demonstrate that response type is not related to the early reproductive value of the brood across distinct behavioural groups. However, our results do suggest that non-hissing and hissing females differ in terms of individual quality or dominance or personality related aspects.
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Acknowledgements
We are especially grateful to Marko Mägi, Pauli Saag and Killu Timm for assistance with fieldwork. We thank all other members of the Avian Behavioural Ecology workgroup for help and advice. Funding came from the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (target-financing project number 0180004s09, institutional research funding IUT number 34–8) and the European Regional Developmental Fund (Centre of Excellence, Frontiers in Biodiversity Research).
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This study was funded by Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (target-financing project number 0180004s09, institutional research funding IUT number 34–8). The study complies with the current laws of Estonia and all institutional guidelines were followed during animal treatment.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Koosa, K., Tilgar, V. Is hissing behaviour of incubating great tits related to reproductive investment in the wild?. acta ethol 19, 173–180 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-016-0239-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-016-0239-y