Varied Tits behavior during the breeding season

Abstract

Observation of the Varied Tits behavior during its nesting period was carried out by installing an infrared camera in the nest box. The nesting period began with nest building (March10) to fledging of chicks (May 11) for a total of 53 days. Before bringing nesting material to the box, the female was observed pecking the inside walls and floor and spreading out its wings and flapping. It is assumed that it pecks at the walls and floor to disturb and catch any insects that may be there and could possibly decay the nest box. Just at the beginning of dawn the female parent entered the nest box and laid one egg each day. It is thought that the female lays one egg early each morning so that is has time during the day to make another egg for laying the following morning. It was confirmed that on rainy days the chicks growth was suppressed and also affected its growth on the following day. Daily food intake also influenced the birds growth. It was confirmed that the parent birds either ate the filled fecal sacs that the chicks expelled or carried them away. The expelled contents of adult birds are liquid form and not in a sac but the contents of chicks is in a sac making it easy for the parents to handle.