Temporal differences in breeding site use between tits and mice

By

Suzuki, Kei K.
Yoshida, Tomoya
Yamane, Yutaka
Shimamoto, Tatsuki
Furukawa, Ryuji G.
Yanagawa, Hisashi

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017-8-8

Original Publication

NeoBiota : advancing research on alien species and biological invasions

Volume

34

Pages

1--3

Subjects

Bird-mammal interaction , breeding ecology , Competition , reproduction strategy , tree cavities

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sophia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.34.e14882

 

Abstract

Describing the interactions among cavity breeders is key to understanding their breeding ecology. In this study the temporal difference in cavity use between the great tit, Parus major (Linnaeus, 1758) and the small Japanese field mice, Apodemus argenteus (Temminck, 1845) is investigated, as a first step for clarifying the interaction between bird and mammal cavity breeders. Forty-seven nest boxes were installed on tree trunks in two urban forests of Hokkaido Island, Japan, and the breeding nests of tits and mice were found in 34 and 11 boxes, respectively. The tits used the nest boxes throughout the breeding season, from May to July. In contrast, mice breeding nests were found in the last half of the breeding season, from July to October. Our results showed that field mice rarely used boxes during the tits’ breeding season. This study provides important information, such as temporal differences in breeding site use between tits and mice.