Abstract
While rural House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) have declined in Sweden, the population of the related Tree Sparrow (P. montanus) has remained stable, suggesting that they are affected by different population regulating mechanisms. Here we investigated if the two species differ in degree of nest-site limitation. After conducting an initial survey of both species on farmsteads in southern Sweden, we supplemented a subset of farms with additional nest-boxes. The farmsteads were resurveyed 3–4 years later to compare any change in population sizes for the two species between farms with and without added nest-sites. We also considered the availability of other nest-sites by counting the number of tile-clad buildings on the farmsteads. We did not find any effect of adding nest-boxes on House Sparrow population sizes, but a significant increase in the population estimate of Tree Sparrows. The number of Tree Sparrows was related to the availability of tile-clad buildings, whereas no such relationship was found for House Sparrows. At low and intermediate population sizes, House Sparrow nest-box utilization declined with the number of tile-clad buildings, suggesting preference for nest-sites under tiles when available. Our results suggest that while Tree Sparrow populations in the southern Swedish farmland are nest-site limited, House Sparrow populations are mainly limited by other mechanisms. Our results suggest that nest-site limitation is unlikely to explain the stronger population decline in rural House Sparrows compared to Tree Sparrows and that nest-site addition is unlikely to be an efficient remedy for the rural House Sparrow decline.
Zusammenfassung
Effekte von experimentell gesteigerten Nistmöglichkeiten auf ländliche Populationen von Haus- und Feldsperlingen
Während die Population von Haussperlingen (Passer domesticus) in schwedischen Agrarlandschaften stark zurückgegangen ist, hat sich die Anzahl der nahe verwandten Feldsperlinge (P. montanus) stabil gehalten. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass diese zwei Arten von verschiedenen populationsregulierenden Mechanismen beeinflusst werden. Unsere Studie untersucht, ob sich diese zwei Arten im Grad der Begrenzung durch Nistmöglichkeiten unterscheiden. Nach einer initialen Erfassung beider Arten auf südschwedischen Bauernhöfen wurde ein Teil der Höfe mit zusätzlichen Nistkästen ausgerüstet. Nach 3–4 Jahren wurde eine erneute Erfassung auf den Höfen durchgeführt, um die Populationsentwicklung der beiden Arten zwischen Höfen mit und ohne zusätzliche Nistkästen zu vergleichen. Die Möglichkeit für alternative Nistgelegenheiten wurde ebenfalls berücksichtigt, indem sämtliche Gebäude mit Ziegeldächern auf den jeweiligen Höfen gezählt wurden. Wir fanden keinen Einfluss von zusätzlichen Nistkästen auf die Populationsgröße von Haussperlingen, allerdings stieg die Anzahl von Feldsperlingen signifikant. Die Anzahl der Feldsperlinge korrelierte mit der Verfügbarkeit von Gebäuden mit Ziegeldächern, während diese Relation nicht für Haussperlinge gezeigt werden konnte. Bei geringen bis mittleren Populationsgrößen von Haussperlingen nahm die Nutzung von Nistkästen mit steigender Verfügbarkeit von Ziegeldächern ab, was auf eine Präferenz von Nistgelegenheiten unter Ziegeln schließen lässt. Unsere Resultate deuten darauf hin, dass die Population von Feldsperlingen in der südschwedischen Agrarlandschaft vom Vorkommen geeigneter Nistmöglichkeiten begrenzt ist, während die Haussperlingspopulation vorrangig von anderen Faktoren limitiert wird. Die Studie zeigt auch, dass eine Begrenzung von Nistmöglichkeiten den stärkeren Rückgang von Haussperlingen verglichen mit Feldsperlingen in der Agrarlandschaft nicht erklären kann, und dass das Ausbringen von zusätzlichen Nistmöglichkeiten mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit keine effektive Maßnahme zum Erhalt von Haussperlingspopulationen ist.
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Acknowledgements
We thank all farmers that made this project possible and field assistants; Lisa Berndtsson, Klara Jansson, Michael Tholin, and Johanna Yourstone for help with bird surveys and farmer contacts. We thank Martin Stjernman for statistical advice. This project was financed by Stiftelsen Oscar and Lili Lamms Minne and FORMAS (the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Science and Spatial Planning) granted to H.G. Smith, and Lunds Djurskyddsfond granted to M. von Post. The study complies with the current laws of Sweden.
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Communicated by T. Gottschalk.
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von Post, M., Smith, H.G. Effects on rural House Sparrow and Tree Sparrow populations by experimental nest-site addition. J Ornithol 156, 231–237 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-014-1117-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-014-1117-x