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KMID : 1161520110150010085
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Animal Cells and Systems
2011 Volume.15 No. 1 p.85 ~ p.90
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Vertical nest stratification and breeding success in a six mixed-species heronry in Taeseong, Chungbuk, Korea
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Park Shi-Ryong
Kim Kwan-Yong
Chung Hoon
Choi Yu-Seong
Sung Ha-Cheol
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Abstract
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In 2001, we conducted a study to assess the effects of differential arrival times and nest-site selection on reproductive performance in a mixed-species heronry consisting of six species in Taeseong-ri, Chungbuk, Korea. We recorded the arrival dates, nest heights, clutch sizes, and brood sizes after 15?20 days of the age of the birds' chicks. The grey herons and cattle egrets arrived first and last, respectively, on the colony site. In the homogenous vegetation structure of the breeding site, the pitch pine trees (Pinus rigida) were mainly used for building nests on 48 of the 50 pine trees (96%). The breeding species vertically stratifies the nest sites according to their body size, except for the cattle egrets and black-crowned night herons that nested at sites higher than those predicted from their body size. The mean nest success rates of the six species under study were positively correlated with the mean nest heights. Our findings suggest that aggressive interspecific interactions among neighbors influence nest-site selection to enhance breeding success.
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KEYWORD
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nest-site selection, cattle egret, black-crowned night herons, nest success rate, clutch size
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