The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 123(3):492-501, 2011 
NEST-SITE SELECTION AND NESTING SUCCESS OF GREY-BACKED 
THRUSHES IN NORTHEAST CHINA 
DAQING ZHOU, 12 CHUNFA ZHOU,' XIANGKUN KONG, 1 AND WENHONG DENG 13 
ABSTRACT.-We identified microhabitat features affecting nest-site selection and examined nest-site characteristics 
associated with success for the Grey-backed Thrush (Tardus hortulorum) in the Dagang Forestry Farm. Jilin Province. 
COllecte ? data from 79 nests from A P ril lo A ^ust 2008. Twenty-nine nests (36.7%) were successful. 
, mi; Ji ed dae ‘° P^ aUon ' and the rest were either destroyed by storms or abandoned. The overall daily survival 
rate (DSRI vvas 0 9563 £ 0.0072. Nest attempts beginning late in the breeding season were more likely to be depredated. 
brooS td,v i T g K , T liDB (dayS 7 ' 12 af,Cr hatchi "g> Periods were higher than those of incubation and 
brooding (days 1-6 after hatching). We compared habitat variables between nest and random sites and assessed the effects 
Ld a hSr,r T St 'T Cha T! risdcS ° n DSR - Gre y“ ed Thrushes selected nest sites with shorter ground cover 
nest tree and 1 T ,* “ DSR Was posilivei y ''elated to distance from the nest to the main stem of the 
oredators imnheT ^ * W,,h ) h ° rizontal exposure. Further research should focus on identification of nest 
i nest f e i POSU h re calls on nesting success, and breeding habitat requirements at different 
Accepted 4 ZZ 2 0U ™ in fra « mc ^ d landscapes of northeast China. Receded 7 Ms 20,0. 
Nest-site selection is a critical aspect of 
reproductive success for birds because species 
select different nest sites to alleviate inter- and 
intra-specific competition (Cody 1981), and 
decrease the probability of predation (Joern and 
Jackson 1983). Nest-site selection probably af¬ 
fects individual Illness, and population dynamics 
(Roth and Johnson 1993, Aguilar et al. 2008). 
Predation has been recognized as a primary cause 
?D- n , e , St x- failUre among f° re st-ne.sting passerines 
(Ricklefs 1969), and investigating the relationship 
between nest-site characteristics and nest preda¬ 
tion has become a focus in ornithology (Martin 
and Roper 1988, Hoover and Brittingham 1998 
Aguilar et al. 2008). 
Habitat characteristics, including canopy height 
and closure, average height of shrubs, number of 
trees, diversity of plant species, ground cover, 
elevation, and vegetation layers are considered hy 
birds during the decision-making processes of 
nest-site selection (Hoover and Brittingham 1998, 
Bnskie et al. 1999, Gjerdrum et al. 2005, Aguilar 
et al. 2008). Many studies have examined the 
relationship between nesting success and habitat 
® at . Ur ® s ’ 1 " clutJing nest exposure or concealment 
(Hatchwell et al. 1996, Johnson 1997), ground 
Sci'ence! S 7nd° f p dU , Cati0 "; Laboralor y Biodive, 
sXTrt and . Ecol °g lca ' Engineering, College of 
Sciences Beijing Normal Universiiy, Number 19 Xii 
koiiwa, Stree., Beijing 100875, Chii7 
Univ ™ 0 ", d ^“ : S’” 01 5 9* The Chi. 
Kong, China. g S ' ' Sha,in ' Ncw Territories. H 
' Corresponding ^ de „ 8wh@bn „ ^^ 
492 
cover (Benin 1977), vegetation density around 
nests (Kelleher and O’Halloran 2007), proximity 
to forest edges (Driscoll et al. 2005. Kaiser and 
Lindell 2007), and size of forest fragments (Fauth 
2000 ). 
Nest-site selection, niche partitioning, popula¬ 
tion dynamics, and nest predation have been 
studied for many species of Turdidae, including 
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) (Paradis et al. 
2000. Kelleher and O'Halloran 2007), Common 
Blackbird (T. merula) (Paradis et al. 2000), and 
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina ) (James et al. 
1984, Roth and Johnson 1993, Hoover and 
Brittingham 1998. Farnsworth and Simons 2000, 
Newell and Kostalos 2007). The Grey-backed 
Thrush (Turdus hortulorum). among the many 
Turdidae species, has received little attention, 
although this is an abundant species with a wide 
distribution. The breeding range of this species 
includes northeastern China, southeast Russian 
Siberia, and North Korea and they overwinter in 
southeastern China and northern Vietnam, occa¬ 
sionally passing through Japan and Taiwan 
(Cheng et al. 1995, Collar 2005). 
Little is currently known about nest-site selec¬ 
tion and characteristics important for success of 
Grey-backed Thrush. Most foraging occurs on die 
ground by scratching in the leaf litter, and this 
species feeds on insects and fruits Previous work 
describes nests in shrubs and trees (Zhao 1982. 
Collar 2005). This species inhabits mainly open 
deciduous forests and dense broadleaf evergreen 
forests on low mountains and hills up to 1,100 in 
(Yang and Tian 1987, Cheng et al 1995, Collar 
