Does prey availability affect the reproductive performance of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) breeding in Ontario, Canada? (original) (raw)
2019, Canadian Journal of Zoology
Animal populations are often limited by food availability, particularly during the breeding season. In birds, food limitation can impact several components of the reproductive cycle, including the timing of reproduction and reproductive output. Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758) have experienced a population decline over the past 40 years in North America that is thought to be related to changes in prey availability. We monitored Barn Swallow reproductive behaviour and prey availability throughout two breeding seasons at 10 sites in Ontario, Canada, to test the hypothesis that limited prey availability during the breeding season affected reproductive behaviour. We found no relationship between food availability and number of eggs laid or number of young fledged. Neither did we observe higher rates of second brooding or more pairs nesting at breeding sites with higher food availability. Barn Swallows did not time their reproductive effort to maximize prey availability dur...
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To maximize fitness, animals choose habitats by using a combination of direct resource cues, such as the quality and quantity of safe breeding sites or food resources, and indirect social cues, such as the presence or breeding performance of conspecifics. Many reports show that nest predation leads to reduced fitness. However, it remains unclear how birds assess predation risk and how it affects breeding-site selection. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between predation risk and breeding-site selection in Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica). We assessed the cues that swallows use in their selection. We used nest-site characteristics related to predation and foraging sites as direct resource cues, number of breeding pairs, and breeding success in the previous year as indirect social cues, and number of old and undamaged old nests as direct resource and/or indirect social cues. Breeding-site preference was assessed using the arrival date of males. We showed that only the number...
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