RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Breeding ecology of Eurasian bullfinches Pyrrhula pyrrhula in an Iberian hedgerow habitat
A1 Hernández Lázaro, Ángel
K1 Breeding success
K1 Clutch size
K1 Egg traits
K1 Parental care
K1 Pyrrhula pyrrhula iberiae
K1 Timing of breeding
K1 2401.20 Ornitología
K1 2401.02 Comportamiento Animal
AB The breeding ecology of the Iberian subspecies of the Eurasianbullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula iberiae, is addressed for the first time.The studied population occupied a hedgerow habitat in northwesternSpain. Individuals directly watched in the study area anddetails of these sightings were recorded over a six-year period,and a total of 56 nests were monitored. The earliest date of nestbuilding was within 11–30 April for all years. Fledglings wererecorded leaving the nest during all the ten-day periods from theend of May to mid-August. Nest attendance, from the early buildingstage to when nestlings were ready to leave the nest, lastedapproximately 36 days. The overall mean clutch size was 4.56eggs. Clutch size decreased significantly at the end of the breedingseason. For all egg traits, the minimum values for standard deviationwere obtained in the intra-clutch analysis, and egg length wasmore variable than width. Nesting success increased progressivelyfrom April–May to June–July and August. The main proximatecause of nest failure was egg desertion/predation, followed bynest desertion during nest building and nestling desertion/predation.Mammals were the main agents in nests where the probablepredator could be identified. Approximately half of the eggsbecame fledglings leaving the nest, no significant seasonal differencesbeing observed for this parameter. In August, the ratio ofjuveniles to adults was 2.5–4.1, juveniles representing approximately70–80% of the individuals seen and identified that month.The absence of significant interannual variation in important reproductiveparameters could have been due to lack of interannualvariation in the availability of food resources. Compared to othersubspecies, mean clutch size of Iberian bullfinches is the smallestrecorded in the western Palearctic, and they showed an earlier startto the breeding season and shorter mean egg length than NorthEuropean and Russian populations.
PB Taylor & Francis
SN 0022-2933
YR 2020
FD 2020
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/64839
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/64839
LA spa
NO Journal of Natural History, 2020, vol. 54, n. 39-40, p. 2613–2645
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 05-ene-2025