A hidden threat in abandoned fields: frequent nest predation by common adder on ground-nesting passerines

• Published in: European journal of wildlife research 2022-02, Vol.68 (1), Article 11
• Main Authors: Samsonov, Stanislav, Grudinskaya, Viktoria, Grabovsky, Alexander, Makarova, Tatiana, Shitikov, Dmitry
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bird populations; Cameras; Ecological effects; Ecology; Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management; Life Sciences; National parks; Nesting; Nests; Original Article; Populations; Predation; Predators; Reproductive failure; Saxicola rubetra; Species; Vertebrates; Zoology
• ISSN: 1612-4642; 1439-0574
• DOI: 10.1007/s10344-022-01559-w

Nest predation is the most important cause of reproductive failure in ground-nesting passerines and can have significant consequences for populations. To understand how predation affects avian populations, it is important to determine the impact of individual predator species or groups and how their ecology can influence patterns of success. Using motion-activated trail cameras, we investigated the identity of predators appearing at Booted Warbler Iduna caligata and Whinchat Saxicola rubetra nests, and the importance of different predator groups for nest survival in the abandoned fields of “Russky Sever” National Park (European North of Russia). Here, we presented data on 87 Booted Warbler and 122 Whinchat nests monitored with trail cameras from 2016–2020. Nests of Booted Warbler and Whinchat in abandoned fields were depredated by a diverse set of predators comprising at least 12 species belonging to four vertebrate classes. Common Adder Vipera berus was the most important predator identified (30 of 66 depredations). Corvids were the second most important group (12 of 66 depredations), which contradicts established ideas about the important role of corvids in nest predation in agricultural landscapes. All Common Adder predation attempts were recorded at nest with nestlings. The rates of nest predation by Common Adder increased with the age of nestlings and as daily mean temperatures increased. Common Adders could not kill all the nestlings in most of the registered attacks on the nests. Our study shows that the community of species predating nests of ground-nesting passerines can differ between intensively used and abandoned fields.