Nest site selection by sympatric orange-fronted (Cyanoramphus malherbi) and yellow-crowned parakeets (C. auriceps) in Nothofagus spp. forest: interspecific competition between two closely related species?

Birds New Zealand

Kearvell, JC¹ 

关键词: competition;    nest sites;    Nothofagus;    Orange-fronted Parakeet;    Yellow-crowned Parakeet;   

DOI  :  

学科分类：动物科学

来源: Ornithological Society of New Zealand Inc.

【 摘 要 】

Orange-fronted (Cyanoramphus malherbi) and yellow-crowned parakeets (C. auriceps) are sympatric congeners that are secondary cavity nesting species, with the former being critically endangered. Both currently inhabit anthropogenically-modified Nothofagus forest. We compared the characteristics of nest sites in both species and found the majority of nest site parameters (tree height, height of hole above ground, DBH, tree condition and aspect) were similar. However, orange-fronted parakeets selected nest cavities with a significantly narrower entrance, and when situated in red beech (Nothofagus fusca), nest entrances were significantly smaller in area than in yellow-crowned parakeets. As the male orange-fronted parakeet is smaller in body mass than the male yellow-crowned parakeet (only males feed nestlings when laying multiple clutches), the difference in nest hole size may simply indicate that they are capable of utilising smaller entrances. We also found that orange-fronted parakeets selected nest holes in standing dead trees more frequently and nest sites in silver beech (N. menziesii) less frequently than expected. While the lack of differences in nest site characteristics suggests some interspecific competition may be occurring between these species (i.e., they occasionally use the same nest holes), it is difficult to establish this experimentally and to determine whether these differences are artefacts of former niche separation in unmodified forest.

【 授权许可】

Unknown