Abstract
The breeding biology and habitat of the Black Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone atrocaudata were investigated at Kotorinomori, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, in 2006 and 2007. Most of the pairs began building their nests at the beginning of June and all chicks had left their nests before the end of July. Most song areas were located within valleys, and were larger (average size; 4.25 ha) than those reported in previous studies (average size; 2.1 ha). Males and females shared incubation duration almost equally. Feeding frequency by the female tended to increase as the chicks grew. Most nests were built in live Magnolia hypoleuca trees. Tree density below the nest was low (average: 0.17 m2) whereas canopy coverage was 75% or more at all four nest sites that were surveyed. The relatively large spaces beneath the nest trees were because of a limited shrub layer. The nest sites tended to be located near roadsides or path sides, and near streams or wetlands. Among six failed nests, nest predation by crows was observed at one nest. Crows were also observed on or around three other nests on the days when the flycatcher parents stopped visiting their nests, indicating that crows may have a major impact on breeding success in this species.
