The design of artificial nestboxes for the study of secondary hole-nesting birds: a review of methodological inconsistencies and potential biases. - CNRS - Centre national de la recherche scientifique Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Acta Ornithologica Année : 2010

The design of artificial nestboxes for the study of secondary hole-nesting birds: a review of methodological inconsistencies and potential biases.

1 CEFE - Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive
2 Evolutionary Ecology Group
3 Department of Biology
4 Institute of Biology
5 Terrestrial Vertebrates Research Unit "Cavanilles"
6 Department of Experimental Zoology & Evolutionary Biology
7 PSH - Unité de recherche Plantes et Systèmes de Culture Horticoles
8 Biodiversity Department
9 Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
10 Ecosystem Science and Management Program
11 Department of Biology (Ethology)
12 Section of Ecology
13 BGS - Biogéosciences [UMR 6282]
14 Department of Evolutionary Ecology
15 Department of Natural and Social Sciences
16 Department of Zoology
17 Department of Brain, Behaviour and Evolution
18 Evolutionary Biology Centre
19 Department of Biology
20 Ornithological Station
21 Laboratory of Ornithology
22 Ecologia del Comportamiento Animal
23 Lancaster Environment Centre
24 Department of Zoology
25 Stazione Inanellamento c/o Dipartimento SEN-FIMIZO
26 Museum and Institute of Zoology
27 ESE - Ecologie Systématique et Evolution
28 Center for Advanced Study
29 Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva
30 Swiss Ornithological Institute
31 Department of Life Sciences
32 Department of Biology
33 Warm-temperate Forest Research Center
34 Center of Ecological Research
35 Laboratory of Ornithology
36 IEE - Institute of Ecology & Evolution
37 Wildlife laboratory
38 Department of Zoology
39 Department of Biosciences [Oslo]
40 Animal Ecology
41 School of Life Sciences
42 Department of Biology
43 Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Section
44 Behavioural Ecology Group
45 Institute of Zoology
46 NIOO-KNAW - Netherlands Institute of Ecology
47 Laboratory of Ornithology and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
48 Laboratoire d'Ecophysiologie animale
Marcel Eens
Tapio Eeva
  • Fonction : Auteur
Lars Gustafsson
Jiri Porkert
  • Fonction : Auteur
Henrik G. Smith
  • Fonction : Auteur
Alberto Sorace
  • Fonction : Auteur

Résumé

The widespread use of artificial nestboxes has led to significant advances in our knowledge of the ecology, behaviour and physiology of cavity nesting birds, especially small passerines. Nestboxes have made it easier to perform routine monitoring and experimental manipulation of eggs or nestlings, and also repeatedly to capture, identify and manipulate the parents. However, when comparing results across study sites the use of nestboxes may also introduce a potentially significant confounding variable in the form of differences in nestbox design amongst studies, such as their physical dimensions, placement height, and the way in which they are constructed and maintained. However, the use of nestboxes may also introduce an unconsidered and potentially significant confounding variable due to differences in nestbox design amongst studies, such as their physical dimensions, placement height, and the way in which they are constructed and maintained. Here we review to what extent the characteristics of artificial nestboxes (e.g. size, shape, construction material, colour) are documented in the ‘methods' sections of publications involving hole-nesting passerine birds using natural or excavated cavities or artificial nestboxes for reproduction and roosting. Despite explicit previous recommendations that authors describe in detail the characteristics of the nestboxes used, we found that the description of nestbox characteristics in most recent publications remains poor and insufficient. We therefore list the types of descriptive data that should be included in the methods sections of relevant manuscripts and justify this by discussing how variation in nestbox characteristics can affect or confound conclusions from nestbox studies. We also propose several recommendations to improve the reliability and usefulness of research based on long-term studies of any secondary hole-nesting species using artificial nestboxes for breeding or roosting.

Dates et versions

hal-00509820 , version 1 (16-08-2010)

Identifiants

Citer

Marcel M. Lambrechts, Frank Adriaensen, Daniel R. Ardia, Alexandr V. Artemyev, Francisco Atiénzar, et al.. The design of artificial nestboxes for the study of secondary hole-nesting birds: a review of methodological inconsistencies and potential biases.. Acta Ornithologica, 2010, 45 (1), pp.1-26. ⟨10.3161/000164510X516047⟩. ⟨hal-00509820⟩
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