Fat reserves and perceived predation risk in the great tit,Parus major
- 7 March 2001
- journal article
- Published by The Royal Society in Proceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences
- Vol. 268 (1466), 487-491
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2000.1405
Abstract
The fat reserves of small birds are built up daily as insurance against starvation. They are believed to reflect a trade-off between the risks of starvation and predation such that in situations of high predation risk birds are expected either to reduce their fat reserves in response to mass-dependent predation risk or to increase them in response to foraging interruptions. We assessed the effect on fat reserves of experimentally altering the perceived (but not the actual) risk of predation of wild great tits at a winter feeding site. The perceived predation risk was alternated between 'safe' and 'risky'. Increasing the perceived risk of predation involved 'swooping' a model sparrowhawk over the feeder at four unpredictable times each day using a remote mechanism We produce evidence that the experiment was suceessfull in altering the perceived risk of predation. As predicted from the hypothesis of mass-dependent predation risk, great tits (Parus major) carried significantly reduced fat reserves during the 'risky' treatment. Furthermore, dominant individuals were able to reduce their reserves more than subordinates. As birds returned to feeders within seconds after a predator 'attack', the reduction in fat reserves cannot be attributed to an interruption in feeding.Keywords
This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
- Assessing the heritability of body condition in birds: a challenge exemplified by the great tit Parus major L. (Aves)Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2000
- Body Reserves and Social Dominance in the Great Tit Parus major in Relation to Winter Weather in Southwest IrelandJournal of Avian Biology, 1999
- Does diurnal variation in body mass affect take-off ability in wintering willow tits?Animal Behaviour, 1998
- Social Dominance and Energy Reserves in Flocks of Willow TitsJournal of Avian Biology, 1996
- Environmental and Social Determinants of Winter Fat Storage in the Great Tit Parus majorJournal of Animal Ecology, 1996
- Diurnal variation in flight performance and hence potential predation risk in small birdsProceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 1995
- Foraging Routines of Small Birds in Winter: A Theoretical InvestigationJournal of Avian Biology, 1994
- Do Subordinates Expose Themselves to Predation? Field Experiments on Feeding Site Selection by Willow TitsJournal of Avian Biology, 1994
- Dominance and anti‐predator behaviour of Great Tits Parus major: a field studyIbis, 1985
- Patterns of Lipid Storage and Utilization in BirdsAmerican Zoologist, 1976