Native trees are related to advanced bird breeding phenology and increased reproductive success along an urban gradient

TL;DR

Native trees like oak in urban areas help birds breed earlier and successfully raise more offspring, likely due to more insect prey availability.

Contribution

The study identifies native tree foliage, especially oak, as a key driver of bird breeding success in urban environments.

Findings

Higher native oak foliage availability correlates with earlier egg laying in blue tits.

Non-native foliage availability is linked to reduced clutch size and fledgling numbers.

Native trees support more Lepidopteran larvae, a key food source for breeding birds.

Abstract

Urban areas are altered from natural landscapes in several ways that can impact wildlife. Birds are widespread in urban areas, and it is well documented that there are phenotypic differences between urban and non‐urban conspecifics. However, little is known about which characteristics of the urban environment are driving differences. We used 9 years of data from nest boxes spread across 20 sites along a 40‐km urban–non‐urban gradient in Scotland to test whether characteristics of the urban environment (native, non‐native, native oak (Quercus spp.), birch (Betula spp.) foliage availability, temperature and human population density, and the interaction between foliage and temperature) influenced phenology and reproductive success in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). We found that higher foliage availability of native foliage, and specifically of the most common native genus, oak, was associated at the territory level with earlier first egg laying date. Higher non‐native foliage availability at both a site and territory level was negatively related to clutch size. The number of fledglings produced was reduced at sites with higher levels of non‐native foliage and increased at sites with greater amounts of native oak foliage present. We also found territories with a higher human population density had reduced fledging success. Temperature was negatively related to first egg laying date, clutch size and the number of fledglings produced. Moreover, the number of Lepidopteran larvae, blue tits' preferred prey, that were collected over the breeding season was positively related to native oak foliage availability. Our results strongly indicate that the presence of native trees, such as oak, are beneficial to breeding insectivores by increasing the number of fledglings they can successfully raise, likely due to the increased availability of invertebrate prey. We suggest that urban planting regimes should be carefully considered, selecting tree species that are native or non‐native congeneric species, and most importantly that will host Lepidoptera larvae. This will not only help to support complete food chains, but also to maximize biodiversity and ecosystem services of urban green spaces.

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