Birds Decorating Their Nests With Plastic May Suffer Less Egg Depredation by Corvids.

ABSTRACT: Many birds add anthropogenic material to the nest. This may increase the probability of total failure because the nest may be more easily located by enemies. However, the material may also induce a threat response in predators sceptical to new objects (the Neophobia Hypothesis). We presented artificial nests on the ground each with two quail eggs, in territories of Eurasian magpies Pica pica in spring. Some nests were decorated with pieces of white plastic while others were not (control). When nests of both types were presented simultaneously on a magpie territory and only a meter apart, depredation started later for nests with plastic than for control nests, supporting the Neophobia Hypothesis. When a trial was repeated on the same territory later in the season, predation started s

SUBMITTER: Slagsvold T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12815595 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature