When God had made all the creatures, he called every one of them and told them what their food should be. Among the birds was the titmouse. To her God turned and said, “Thy food shall be the seed of the pumpkin.†The titmouse, knowing that the seed of the pumpkin was very sweet, did […]
Category: Paridae
Why the Chickadee is a true teller and the Titmouse a liar
Sometimes an old woman would approach along the trail where the children were picking strawberries or playing near the village, and would say to them cordially, “Come, my grandchildren, come to your granny and let granny dress your hair.” When some little girl ran up and laid her head in the old woman’s lap to […]
The breeding biology of the Willow Tit in Northeastern Siberia
Willow Tit (Parus montanus) Science Article 2 abstract The Magadan region of northeastern Siberia. Clutch size and number of fledglings averaged 7.5 and 6.5, respectively, and both were correlated negatively with the date of the first egg. Nestling growth rate was correlated positively with the date of the first egg, but was not related to […]
Hunger-dependency of hiding behaviour after a predator attack in dominant and subordinate Willow Tits.
Willow Tit (Parus montanus) Science Article 3 abstract We studied rank-specificity of predation risk taking in captive Willow Tits Parus montanus. Level of risk taking was expressed by duration of hiding after a simulated predator attack. By manipulating available food, we separated the effects of hunger and other rank associated factors on accepted predation risk. […]
Factors influencing Willow Tit Poecile montanus site occupancy: a comparison of abandoned and occupied woods
Willow Tit (Parus montanus) Science Article 4 abstract The British Willow Tit Poecile montanus kleinschmidti underwent a decline of 85% between 1970 and 2003. The cause of this decline is unknown. However, several hypotheses have been put forward to account for it: competition from other tit species, predation by Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos major and […]
Growth and size of Willow Tit Parus montanus under different environmental conditions
Willow Tit (Parus montanus) Science Article 1 abstract This six years study focuses on the effect of environmental factors on Willow Tit (Parus montanus) nestling growth . For each brood, nestling growth during the growth period (day 1-12) was related to the amount of food and temperature du ring this peri od as well as […]
Habitat selection by Marsh Tits Poecile palustris in the UK
Marsh Tit (Parus palustris) Science Article 3 abstract The Marsh Tit Poecile palustris is a small, hole-nesting woodland passerine whose national population in the UK has declined by more than 50% in the last 25 years. To investigate possible causes for the species long-term decline, we examined habitat selection by Marsh Tits at three scales. […]
Timing and synchronisation of breeding in a Marsh Tit Parus palustris population from a primaeval forest
Marsh Tit (Parus palustris) Science Article 2 abstract Marsh Tits Parus palustris in Bialowieza National Park (E. Poland, 1985-97) were single brooded, laid their first eggs between 5 April and 11 May (mean 21 April). Nest building commenced on average 10-15 days before the first egg was laid, but overlapped partially with egg laying. Median […]
Seasonal decline in clutch size of the Marsh Tit (Parus palustris) in relation to date-specific survival of offspring
Marsh Tit (Parus palustris) Science Article 1 abstract This paper documents and evaluates seasonal trends in reproductive performance in the Marsh Tit (Parus palustris)in southern Sweden. Clutch size decreased for nests started later in the season. This pattern held true both for second-year and older females when analyzed separately In dividual females adjusted clutch size […]
How great tits maintain synchronization of their hatch date with food supply in response to long-term variability in temperature
Great Tit (Parus major) Science Article 28 abstract Breeding birds increase their fitness by synchronizing their production of chicks with a peak of food abundance. Synchronization is primarily achieved by varying first egg date, but yearly temperature variations may delay or accelerate the food peak after the first egg has been laid. We tested the […]