Differential nest-defense to perceived danger in urban and rural areas by female Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
The reaction of wildlife to humans is known to differ with surroundings. In urban environments that provide suitable habitats for breeding birds, animals adapt to humans and their response is accordingly altered. This study examined the nest defense behavior of female Eurasian sparrowhawks (Accipite...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2016-07-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/2070.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797418618114277376 |
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| author | Tomas Kunca Reuven Yosef |
| author_facet | Tomas Kunca Reuven Yosef |
| author_sort | Tomas Kunca |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The reaction of wildlife to humans is known to differ with surroundings. In urban environments that provide suitable habitats for breeding birds, animals adapt to humans and their response is accordingly altered. This study examined the nest defense behavior of female Eurasian sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) during the breeding season in urban and rural areas of Prague. The females showed four different types of reaction to humans that approached the nest and differed significantly between the two study areas. Contrary to expectations, urban nesting females were more aggressive than rural conspecifics. The intensity of response increased as the season progressed, and females defended their broods to a much greater degree than their clutches in both urban and rural habitats, suggesting a differential effort as a function of their relative investment in the breeding attempt conforming with the parental investment hypothesis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:36:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b9186d02667343e386fc6ce400a6091d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:36:28Z |
| publishDate | 2016-07-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-b9186d02667343e386fc6ce400a6091d2023-12-03T10:58:03ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592016-07-014e207010.7717/peerj.2070Differential nest-defense to perceived danger in urban and rural areas by female Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)Tomas Kunca0Reuven Yosef1Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech RepublicEilat Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Eilat, IsraelThe reaction of wildlife to humans is known to differ with surroundings. In urban environments that provide suitable habitats for breeding birds, animals adapt to humans and their response is accordingly altered. This study examined the nest defense behavior of female Eurasian sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) during the breeding season in urban and rural areas of Prague. The females showed four different types of reaction to humans that approached the nest and differed significantly between the two study areas. Contrary to expectations, urban nesting females were more aggressive than rural conspecifics. The intensity of response increased as the season progressed, and females defended their broods to a much greater degree than their clutches in both urban and rural habitats, suggesting a differential effort as a function of their relative investment in the breeding attempt conforming with the parental investment hypothesis.https://peerj.com/articles/2070.pdfFemaleNest defensePerceived dangerAccipiter nisusUrban environmentRural |
| spellingShingle | Tomas Kunca Reuven Yosef Differential nest-defense to perceived danger in urban and rural areas by female Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) PeerJ Female Nest defense Perceived danger Accipiter nisus Urban environment Rural |
| title | Differential nest-defense to perceived danger in urban and rural areas by female Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) |
| title_full | Differential nest-defense to perceived danger in urban and rural areas by female Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) |
| title_fullStr | Differential nest-defense to perceived danger in urban and rural areas by female Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differential nest-defense to perceived danger in urban and rural areas by female Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) |
| title_short | Differential nest-defense to perceived danger in urban and rural areas by female Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) |
| title_sort | differential nest defense to perceived danger in urban and rural areas by female eurasian sparrowhawk accipiter nisus |
| topic | Female Nest defense Perceived danger Accipiter nisus Urban environment Rural |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/2070.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tomaskunca differentialnestdefensetoperceiveddangerinurbanandruralareasbyfemaleeurasiansparrowhawkaccipiternisus AT reuvenyosef differentialnestdefensetoperceiveddangerinurbanandruralareasbyfemaleeurasiansparrowhawkaccipiternisus |