Abstract
Colonial birds when returning to breed to a previous location can face different settling options regarding their position in the colony. The decision could be influenced by information gained from the conspecifics' performance, known as habitat copying. Colonial Sand Martins (Riparia riparia) cannot use evident physical cues when returning to breeding sites, as their nesting substrate is usually renewing completely. We investigated settlement decisions of breeding birds in a unique situation at a large colony along the Tisza River, Hungary, where the nesting substrate was renewed completely in two consecutive years. Breeding birds were ringed at 7-m-long sections of the colony, with totals of 6 sections in 2000 and 20 sections in 2001. Aggregation levels of philopatric birds were estimated by calculating individual distances (expressed in sections) between each recaptured bird. From 1,494 adult birds ringed in the first year, 128 individuals returned to breed in the same colony. The distance to the nearest neighbour in the year 2000 predicted the settlement distance in the next year, indicating a clear preference of breeding closer to the neighbours of the previous year than expected by chance. Age composition had an uneven distribution in the colony, as sections where no clumped resettlement occurred had fewer old individuals than the other sections. Morphological measurements were not clearly different between colony sections. This non-random settlement pattern suggests the existence of breeding groups that could disperse together without being attached to a specific colony site.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 185-191 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Ornithology |
| Volume | 151 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- Aggregation
- Coloniality
- Habitat copying
- Informed dispersal
- Riparia riparia
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
Cite this
Breeding dispersal patterns within a large Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) colony. / Szabó, Zoltán D.; Szép, T.
In: Journal of Ornithology, Vol. 151, No. 1, 2010, p. 185-191.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Breeding dispersal patterns within a large Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) colony
AU - Szabó, Zoltán D.
AU - Szép, T.
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Colonial birds when returning to breed to a previous location can face different settling options regarding their position in the colony. The decision could be influenced by information gained from the conspecifics' performance, known as habitat copying. Colonial Sand Martins (Riparia riparia) cannot use evident physical cues when returning to breeding sites, as their nesting substrate is usually renewing completely. We investigated settlement decisions of breeding birds in a unique situation at a large colony along the Tisza River, Hungary, where the nesting substrate was renewed completely in two consecutive years. Breeding birds were ringed at 7-m-long sections of the colony, with totals of 6 sections in 2000 and 20 sections in 2001. Aggregation levels of philopatric birds were estimated by calculating individual distances (expressed in sections) between each recaptured bird. From 1,494 adult birds ringed in the first year, 128 individuals returned to breed in the same colony. The distance to the nearest neighbour in the year 2000 predicted the settlement distance in the next year, indicating a clear preference of breeding closer to the neighbours of the previous year than expected by chance. Age composition had an uneven distribution in the colony, as sections where no clumped resettlement occurred had fewer old individuals than the other sections. Morphological measurements were not clearly different between colony sections. This non-random settlement pattern suggests the existence of breeding groups that could disperse together without being attached to a specific colony site.
AB - Colonial birds when returning to breed to a previous location can face different settling options regarding their position in the colony. The decision could be influenced by information gained from the conspecifics' performance, known as habitat copying. Colonial Sand Martins (Riparia riparia) cannot use evident physical cues when returning to breeding sites, as their nesting substrate is usually renewing completely. We investigated settlement decisions of breeding birds in a unique situation at a large colony along the Tisza River, Hungary, where the nesting substrate was renewed completely in two consecutive years. Breeding birds were ringed at 7-m-long sections of the colony, with totals of 6 sections in 2000 and 20 sections in 2001. Aggregation levels of philopatric birds were estimated by calculating individual distances (expressed in sections) between each recaptured bird. From 1,494 adult birds ringed in the first year, 128 individuals returned to breed in the same colony. The distance to the nearest neighbour in the year 2000 predicted the settlement distance in the next year, indicating a clear preference of breeding closer to the neighbours of the previous year than expected by chance. Age composition had an uneven distribution in the colony, as sections where no clumped resettlement occurred had fewer old individuals than the other sections. Morphological measurements were not clearly different between colony sections. This non-random settlement pattern suggests the existence of breeding groups that could disperse together without being attached to a specific colony site.
KW - Aggregation
KW - Coloniality
KW - Habitat copying
KW - Informed dispersal
KW - Riparia riparia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77952930606&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77952930606&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10336-009-0443-x
DO - 10.1007/s10336-009-0443-x
M3 - Article
VL - 151
SP - 185
EP - 191
JO - Journal fur Ornithologie
JF - Journal fur Ornithologie
SN - 2193-7206
IS - 1
ER -