动物学

动物学

来源出版物：Current Zoology，2015，61（3）： 435-443

联系邮箱：Shuihua CHEN，birdchen@hotmail.com

封面介绍：The common blackbird Turdusmerula is one of the most highly urbanized bird species. To colonize urban environments，the common blackbird shifts its nesting sites from natural places to many kinds of anthropogenic structures such as flowerpots，wall ledges，air condition mounts，window canopies，balcony frames，and eaves（Page 435）. Image credit： Bin QIAN.

Common blackbirds Turdus merula use anthropogenic structures as nesting sites in an urbanized landscape

WANG Yan-ping，HUANG Qin，LAN Si-si，et al.

The common blackbird Turdus merula is one of the most highly urbanized bird species. However，to date，the use of anthropogenic structures as nesting sites in the common blackbird is rarely documented，and the factors influencing its use of the anthropogenic structures as nesting sites remain unclear. In this study，we systematically quantified and determined the factors influencing the use of anthropogenic structures as nesting sites in common blackbirds in a highly urbanized city of Hangzhou，China. We searched for nests of common blackbirds during four breeding seasons from 2010 to 2013. Among the 60 nests found，34 nests were in anthropogenic structures such as wall ledges，air condition mounts，window canopies，cable poles，guardrails，eaves，balcony frames，flowerpots and flower shelves on balconies. We found that the available anthropogenic nest sites and the available nesting trees were main factors determining the use of anthropogenic structures as nesting sites in Common Blackbirds. In urban environments，the amount of available anthropogenic nesting sites increased significantly，whereas the number of natural nesting sites reduced greatly. Our results suggest that common blackbirds can adjust their nest sites in response to urbanization and such nesting behavior shifts may aid them to colonize urban environments. From a management viewpoint，our results indicate that behavioral flexibility should be taken into account for effective urban wildlife management and conservation.

Adaptation； Anthropogenic nest； Behavioral flexibility； Colonization； Urbanization