Previous reproductive success informs nest-building decisions.

ABSTRACT: Behavioral outcomes, including foraging efficiency and reproductive success, often improve with age and with repeated breeding attempts. Here we examined the role of previous experience on the nest-building behavior of wild blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus. In particular, we focused on how previous success or failure in rearing nestlings shapes nest-building decisions in subsequent years. We found that previous breeding outcome is important for predicting nest building decisions in blue tits: birds that had previously raised fledglings added insulating material at a similar rate as they had when they built their first nest. Some birds that had been previously unsuccessful changed their rate of adding insulating material and then were more likely to produce fledglings. These resp

SUBMITTER: Alexander EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11840717 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature