Title:

Nest Holes of Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos major and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers D. medius: Do they Really Differ in Size?

Subtitle:

Czy dziuple dzięcioła dużego i dzięcioła średniego różnią się wielkością? ; Nest hole size in woodpeckers

Creator:

Kosiński, Ziemowit ; Ksit, Paweł

Contributor:

Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences

Publisher:

Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences ; Natura Optima Dux Foundation

Place of publishing:

Warsaw

Date issued/created:

2007

Description:

pg(s) 45–52

Type of object:

Journal/Article

Subject and Keywords:

Great Spotted Woodpecker ; Middle Spotted Woodpecker ; Dendrocopos medius ; Dendrocopos major ; nest-hole dimension ; substrate thickness ; cavity kleptoparasitism ; dzięcioł duży ; dzięcioł pstry większy ; dzięcioł średni

Abstract:

Great- and Middle Spotted Woodpecker nest-hole dimensions and tree diameters at hole-entrance height were analyzed in order to test the hypothesis that Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, by making use of a thinner substrate and excavating smaller nest-holes, may reduce interspecific competition for nest-sites with Great Spotted Woodpeckers. It was found that only the vertical diameter of Great Spotted Woodpecker nest-hole openings and the entrance-hole area (49.2 mm, 17.8 cm2 respectively) were significantly larger than the corresponding parameters in Middle Spotted Woodpeckers (44.9 mm, 16.2 cm2). The average tree diameter at nest-height was 42.7 cm in Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 38.2 cm in Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, and did not differ between the two species. There were no correlations between the tree diameter at nest height and nest height in either species. The small variation in hole-entrance diameters (CV ≤ 10%) and the distance that a predator had to reach to plunder the nest (≥ 19 cm) are most likely to protect woodpeckers' broods against arboreal predators — mainly Pine Martens. It is concluded that the tree diameter at nest-height probably makes little or no difference with respect to avoidance by Middle Spotted Woodpeckers of competition with Great Spotted Woodpeckers. The role of nest-hole size in terms of its influence on reproduction is also discussed.

Relation:

Acta Ornithologica

Volume:

42

Issue:

1

Start page:

45

End page:

52

Resource type:

Text

Detailed Resource Type:

Journal

Format:

text/xml

Resource Identifier:

10.3161/068.042.0112

Source:

MiIZ PAN, call no. P.257 ; MiIZ PAN, call no. P.4568 ; click here to follow the link

Language:

eng

Language of abstract:

pol ; eng

Rights:

Rights Reserved - Free Access

Terms of use:

Copyright-protected material. May be used within the limits of statutory user freedoms

Digitizing institution:

Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Original in:

Library of the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Access:

Open