Delayed egg-laying in Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio in relation to increased rainfall in east-central Poland.

ABSTRACT: Climate change has affected the breeding parameters of many animal species. In birds, most studies have focused on the effects of temperature on clutch phenology and clutch size. The long-term influence of other weather factors, including rainfall, on breeding parameters have been analysed much less often. Based on a 23-year dataset and 308 broods, we documented shifts in the timing of breeding, clutch size and mean egg volume in a long-distance migrant, the Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio, from a central European population. We found a 5-day shift towards delayed breeding, but no differences in brood size or egg volume during those 23 years. The GLM analysis showed that the mean May temperature had a positive influence on the clutch initiation date, whereas the number of days with rain

SUBMITTER: Golawski A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10070303 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature