Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Science Article 16 abstract Data from 939 nests of the Blue Tit Parus caeruleus and 1008 nests of the Great Tit P. major from nestboxes provided in superabundance in mixed forest study sites between 1976 and 2001 were analysed to examine the effects of mate retention on breeding success and the […]
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Stress protein levels and blood parasite infection in blue tits (Parus c ruleus): a medication field experiment.
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Science Article 1 abstract It has been suggested that blood parasites are a source of physiological stress for avian hosts in the wild. We report the first experimental evidence relating blood parasite infection to the physiological stress response in a wild avian population. We reduced through medication the intensity of infection […]
Olfaction, volatile compounds and reproduction in birds
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Science Article 4 abstract Despite research in several biologically-relevant contexts, including orientation and resource acquisition, olfactionstudies in free-ranging reproducing bird populations are rare. This, inter alia, hampers the quantitative study of fitnessconsequencesof olfaction. Here we provide a brief review of the use of avian smell in the context of reproduction, focusing […]
The use of a colorimeter in field studies of Blue Tit Parus caeruleus coloration.
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Science Article 11 abstract We tested the use of a field colorimeter for studying plumage coloration of three species of small passerines in the field. Measurement repeatability was generally high, although for some species some parts of the plumage proved difficult to measure accurately. As an example, we showed that plumage […]
Separating the effects of predation risk andinterrupted foraging upon mass changesin the blue tit Parus caeruleus
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Science Article 20 abstract The optimal amount of reserves that a small bird should carry depends upon a number of factors,including the availability of food and environmental predation risk levels. Theory predicts that, ifpredation risk increases, then a bird should maintain a lower level of reserves. Sean A. Rands and Innes […]
Physiological adjustment to heat in Blue Tit Parus caeruleus nestlings from a Mediterranean habitat.
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Science Article 9 abstract On Corsica Blue Tits Parus caeruleus ogliastrae breed late in the spring when ambient temperatures are high as a local adaptation to the late occurrence of their food. This means that Blue Tits rear their young when water demand of nestlings for evaporative cooling is high due […]
Song variation in Blue Tit Parus caeruleus populations from Corsica and mainland southern France
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Science Article 14 abstract The aim of this study is to describe and investigate geographic variation of Blue Tit Parus caeruleus song. We recorded songs at seven sites situated in the French Mediterranean region, five on Corsica and two on the mainland of southern France. Blue tits from these two regions […]
Brood size manipulation modifies the intensity of infection by Haematozoa in female Blue Tits Parus caeruleus
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Science Article 12 abstract We have studied the effects of a brood size manipulation on the infection by blood parasites in a Blue Tit Parus caeruleus population in central Spain. Overall, 98% of the birds were infected by at least one parasite species. Haemoproteus majoris was the most prevalent parasite (92%), […]
Blue tits Parus caeruleus exploiting Gum Cistus capsules Cistus ladanifer as sources of arthropod food. ARDEA
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Science Article 10 abstract The foraging behaviour of Blue Tit Parus caeruleus was studied in detail during the postbreeding period, and in this period they used Gum Cistus capsules quite intensively. We found arthropods in 57% of the examined capsules. The use of the capsules of this shrub demonstrates once again […]
Avian Clock gene polymorphism: evidence for a latitudinalcline in allele frequencies
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Science Article 17 abstract In comparison with most animal behaviours, circadian rhythms have a well-characterizedmolecular genetic basis. Detailed studies of circadian clock genes in