AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Predation by sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus on male and female pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca in relation to their breeding behaviour and foraging

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:2006
Authors:Post, P, Götmark, F
Journal:Journal of Avian Biology
Volume:37
Issue:2
Date Published:2006
ISBN Number:1600-048X
Keywords:Accipiter, Accipiter nisus, Accipitridae, Ficedula, Ficedula hypoleuca, Fringilla, Fringilla coelebs, Fringillidae, Muscicapa hypoleuca, Muscicapidae, Nisus
Abstract:Bright plumage, song display, and aggressive resource defence in males may cause higher predation on males than on females during the breeding season. However, in birds, higher predation on females is sometimes observed. Parental investment may be high in females (egg-laying, incubation and feeding of offspring), which might lead to a high risk of predation. We studied predation by sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus in relation to behaviour in pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca where breeding males are more conspicuous than females in plumage and behaviour. Male pied flycatchers generally occupied more exposed perches than females. Females were more mobile and foraged more than males, especially prior to and during incubation. During the incubation and nestling stages, when predation on the sexes could be directly compared, sparrowhawks took about the same number of male and female pied flycatchers. During incubation, however, females spent about 77% of the day in the nest and were 4.7 times more vulnerable than males per unit of time available (i.e. outside the nest). A comparison with the chaffinch Fringilla coelebs, where hawks took more females than males, indicates that timing of breeding, foraging behaviour and parental roles of males and females affect predation risk.
URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.2006.0908-8857.03338.x
Short Title:Journal of Avian Biology
Taxonomic name: 
Accipiter (Birds), Accipiter nisus (Birds), Accipitridae (Birds), Ficedula (Birds), Ficedula hypoleuca (Birds), Fringilla (Birds), Fringilla coelebs (Birds), Fringilla coelebs (Birds), Fringillidae (Birds), Muscicapidae (Birds)
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith