It is well documented that the availability of nest sites can limit bird populations, but what about the availability of nest material used to construct nests? I am looking for examples in open-cup nesters or similar (i.e., not cavity nesters).
I read somewhere that song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) may be limited by the availability of mud and rotten wood necessary for the nest cup construction in urban areas. Also different species of swallows may be limited by the availability of wet mud in cities.
Interesting, esp the thrush information. Please let me know if you can recall a source. Thank you.
Chris, I found it in Hansell’s book Bird Nests and Nest Construction Behaviour, p. 153: “The concept of nest material availability as a constraint on nest site selection and even on breeding range was first clearly articulated by Tomialojc (1992). He was struck by the absence of breeding song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) but presence of blackbirds (Turdus merula) in drier Mediterranean habitats and some more northerly urban areas. In terms of food supply for chicks, thrushes should be as well off in these areas as blackbirds, and seem to be breeding well in neighbouring regions in the presence of blackbirds. Tomialojc (1992) proposed that in dry and in urban habitats the thrushes failed to breed because of the lack of the combination of wet conditions and rotten wood, or substitute materials like mud or dung, needed to create the typical nest lining. The composition of nest linings in different parts of their range tended to support this hypothesis.”
Tomialojc L 1992. Colonisation of dry habitats by the song thrush Turdus philomelos: is the type of nest material an important nest constraint? Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 112:27–34
It seems that song thrushes might look for alternative materials, such as cigarette filter tips ;-) :
Igic B., Cassey P., Samaš P., Grim T. & Hauber M.E. 2009: Cigarette butts form a perceptually cryptic component of song thrush (Turdus philomelos) nests. Notornis 56(3): 134–138
Choughs in arid regions of South Australia build large cup nests from mud. The area is mostly calcrete with interspersed areas of thin clay however the biggest shortage here would be the water required to mix the mud. Annual rainfall here is 250mm and thats a good year!
I would make a distinction between vegetation components used to build the foundation of the nest and animal substances used to finish or adorn the nest. I presume that animal components (often inter-specific origin?) are more limiting than vegetation components, but this is just hypothetical.
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