Nesting preferences of two cavity-nesting passerines in human houses

Abstract

Human activities exert a variety of impacts on birds; some are negatively influenced by these activities, while others benefit from them. Here we studied the relationship between the nest site selection of two sympatric cavity-nesting birds, Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus and Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassinus and human houses, over thirteen years. The redstarts selected houses in which to nest because of the presence of people, whereas flycatchers chose to build nests in houses because of the houses themselves. It is thought that redstarts prefer to build nests in human structures because the presence of people reduces the risk of nest predation. In contrast, although breeding sympatrically, flycatchers built nests in houses where people were absent, indicating that it was not as sensitive as the redstart to human presence. Instead, they seem to prefer to nest in human residences because they provide suitable nesting sites. This study indicates that different species may adapt to human activities in different ways, even though they have similar habits and co-exist in the same habitat.