Birds build camouflaged nests
Abstract
It is assumed that many birds attempt to conceal their nests by using camouflage. To our knowledge, however, no previous experimental studies have explicitly tested this assumption. To explore whether birds choose materials that match the background colors of nest sites to reduce the conspicuousness of their nests, we offered nest-building male Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata) a choice of nest materials that either matched or did not match the color of their nest cup and the surrounding cage walls. Males chose to nest predominantly with material that matched the background color of the cage. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental evidence that birds actively select materials that camouflage their nests.
Citation
Bailey , I E , Muth , F , Morgan , K , Meddle , S L & Healy , S D 2015 , ' Birds build camouflaged nests ' , The Auk , vol. 132 , no. 1 , pp. 13-17 . https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-14-77.1
Publication
The Auk
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0004-8038Type
Journal article
Description
This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) (BB/I019502/1 to S.D.H. and S.L.M.) and by Roslin Institute Strategic Grant funding from the BBSRC (to S.L.M).Collections
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