Journal of Avian Biology最新文献

{"title":"Translocation experiment of taiga bean geese Anser fabalis provides evidence for oblique social learning of moult migration","authors":"Kristaps Sokolovskis,&nbsp;Antti Piironen,&nbsp;Toni Laaksonen","doi":"10.1111/jav.03263","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03263","url":null,"abstract":"<p>While there is ample evidence supporting genetic control of migratory behaviour in short-lived passerines, long-lived social species have been assumed to rely solely on cultural inheritance of migratory routes. Evidence from experimental studies supporting this idea is scarce. We tested whether the moult migration in taiga bean geese <i>Anser fabalis</i> has an inherited component or whether the birds need oblique social learning (where knowledge on migration is transferred from any experienced individual to any naïve individual conspecific) to carry out this journey. In many waterfowl species, non-breeders and failed breeders migrate to remote places for wing moult while successful breeders stay at the breeding grounds and moult with their chicks. We translocated one-year-old taiga bean geese before their first moult migration to sites outside of the breeding range to examine whether they display innate moult migration behaviour without experienced conspecifics or not. The birds were equipped with GPS-transmitters and released in randomly assigned groups of two. Wild control one-year-old birds were released immediately after capture with other non-breeding geese, while a procedural control group consisting of older birds was held in captivity until being released at the same time with the translocated one-year-old birds but in the place where they were captured. Most translocated birds found conspecifics and either joined locally moulting breeders or followed experienced birds to moulting sites in Russia. Two of the translocated birds did not find other bean geese and settled to moult together in southwest Finland. The wild control birds moult-migrated as expected, while only one of the procedural control birds moult-migrated to Russia and the remaining three stayed with locally moulting breeders in Finland. Our results support the idea that moult migration in geese is culturally inherited, highlighting the importance of the non-relative, experienced adult individuals in maintaining population-specific behaviours.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2025 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.03263","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143945039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Introducing the mini-review article category and the Journal of Avian Biology review award","authors":"Michael Tobler,&nbsp;Theresa Burg,&nbsp;Dominique Potvin,&nbsp;Jan-Åke Nilsson","doi":"10.1111/jav.03423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03423","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Journal of Avian Biology (JAB) publishes hypothesis-driven, high-quality research from all parts of the globe that advances our understanding of the ecology, evolution and behaviour of birds. Findings can be disseminated in research articles, short communications, viewpoint articles and reviews. Reviews perform an important function as vehicles to convey critical information in a synthesized way; they not only aggregate information, but also identify current research gaps and pave the way for future investigation. Comprehensive review articles, however, are major undertakings that may quickly go out of date. To address this challenge and to offer a nimbler format to publish overviews of a particular field or aspect in avian biology, JAB introduced the ‘mini-review' article category in December 2022. As the name suggests, mini-reviews are shorter than standard reviews (about 6000 words) and can be used to highlight a sub-topic or ongoing debate within a broader research area. They provide a succinct and clear summary of the research topic and give readers a quick overview of the most recent and significant advances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Journal of Avian Biology is an important outlet for young researchers. Of all the articles published in 2023, nearly 60% had a corresponding author with no more than 8 years of post-doctorate research experience. Most of the corresponding authors on these papers (close to 50%) were PhD students or early postdocs at the time of publication. To emphasize this and to highlight the mini-review category as a new outlet for early career researchers to synthesize their research, JAB announced the first ‘JAB review award' competition in spring 2023. The award is sponsored by the Nordic Society Oikos (NSO), the umbrella society for the ecological societies in the Nordic countries, who publishes JAB and four other scientific journals (Oikos, Nordic Journal of Botany, Ecography and Wildlife Biology).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The JAB review award is given to an early career research scientist who has an exceptional mini-review manuscript accepted for publication in JAB. The mini-review should focus on new developments and/or emerging concepts in the areas of avian research that fall within the scope of the journal. The winner of the JAB review award receives a 1000€ honorarium and the runner-up receives 500€. If the award is given for a paper with multiple authors (the lead and corresponding author(s) must be early career), those meeting the early career research criteria at the time of publication will share the monetary prize. All accepted papers that are entered in the competition will appear together in an issue in Journal of Avian Biology.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this first ‘award issue', we briefly reiterate eligibility and submission criteria, and outline the assessment criteria for the award. We wish to be clear and transparent about these criteria as it recently has been highlighted that there is not enough transparency in scientific awards for early- and mid-car","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2024 11-12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.03423","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142664799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beware of hitchhiking ticks? Clarifying the variable roles of bird species in tick movement along migratory routes","authors":"Lars Burnus,&nbsp;Joe Wynn,&nbsp;Miriam Liedvogel,&nbsp;Robert E. Rollins","doi":"10.1111/jav.03275","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03275","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ticks are blood-feeding parasites which act as major vectors for various pathogenic microorganisms affecting both animal and human health. Hard ticks are known to move passively (i.e. ‘hitchhike') on migratory birds as they transit between breeding and non-breeding grounds. This potentially leads to exchange and establishment of non-endemic tick species in novel environments. However, it is not yet clear if all migratory bird taxa play an equal role in movement of specific tick species, especially outside of medically important tick taxa. To clarify these interactions, we performed a systematic literature review regarding primary data of ticks moving on migratory birds within the African–Western Palearctic flyways. In total, 35 studies were found which showed 123 bird species from 37 families and 12 orders connected to potential movement of 30 tick species representing six genera (<i>Amblyomma</i>, <i>Dermacentor</i>, <i>Haemaphysalis</i>, <i>Hyalomma</i>, <i>Ixodes</i>, <i>Rhipicephalus</i>). Most tick species did not show high abundance for any bird species, or, if they did, only on very few. Only <i>Ixodes ricinus</i> and <i>Hyalomma marginatum</i> were estimated to be carried at above average burdens by multiple bird species. This could indicate an increased likelihood of these species to be moved during migration. Specific tick species or whole genera were only found in certain migratory seasons as expected based on their geographic distributions. Even so, species found in both migratory seasons did not differ in their estimated abundances on birds between seasons. This result could suggest that tick abundance on migrating birds is not always a direct result of geographic distribution and may suggest an understudied importance of stopover sites towards potential tick introduction or turnover. Taken together, the results presented here provide guiding information for future analyses integrating individual level variation into the current understanding of tick movement with migratory birds.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2025 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.03275","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143944752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using metabolic data to investigate the role of brood size in the development of endothermy","authors":"Elana Rae Engert,&nbsp;Fredrik Andreasson,&nbsp;Andreas Nord,&nbsp;Jan-Åke Nilsson","doi":"10.1111/jav.03301","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03301","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Altricial songbirds transform themselves from naked poikilotherms to fully feathered endothermic homeotherms over a matter of days from hatching to fledging. The ontogeny of endothermy is a developmental milestone for birds that not only face warmer average temperatures, but also increasingly frequent cold snaps and extreme weather. The timing of development of endothermy has been studied in altricial birds for over half a century. However, the determinants and constraints of the onset of endothermy are not yet fully understood. We experimentally investigated whether brood size influences the ontogeny of endothermic heat production in 4–8 day-old nestling blue tits <i>Cyanistes caeruleus</i> in southern Sweden. The thermogenic response to a cooling challenge (15°C) increased with age overall. We found that 8-day-old nestlings from reduced broods had a slightly increased capacity for endothermic heat production compared to enlarged broods. This difference cannot be explained by body mass because this trait did not differ between brood size categories. Although a metabolic response was present in most nestlings by day 6, it was brief, not lasting more than a few minutes, and not sufficient to maintain a stable body temperature in any age group. Our study shows that incipient endothermy is present at an early age in nestling blue tits and may advance faster in reduced broods, but that individual nestlings lack sufficient insulation and thermogenic performance to maintain homeothermy independently during the first week of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2025 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.03301","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143944886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The interplay of resource availability and parent foraging strategies on juvenile sparrow individual specialization","authors":"Natalia Ricote,&nbsp;Constanza Weinberger,&nbsp;Natalia Ramírez-Otarola,&nbsp;Sara Bustamante,&nbsp;María Lucía Málaga,&nbsp;Gonzalo Barceló,&nbsp;Pablo Sabat,&nbsp;Seth D. Newsome,&nbsp;Karin Maldonado","doi":"10.1111/jav.03391","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03391","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Temporal variation in resource availability, amplified by global change, may have strong impacts on species breeding at temperate and high latitudes that cue their reproduction to exploit seasonal resource pulses. This study examines how resource availability and parental care influence niche partitioning between and within age classes in the rufous-collared sparrow, which provides extensive parental care. We hypothesized juveniles would exhibit narrower niches focused on high-quality resources compared to adults, regardless of resource availability. We used stable isotope analysis to quantify individual and population niches in juveniles and adults across the breeding season in two cohorts experiencing contrasting resource landscapes. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, juveniles exhibited greater among-individual diet variation and smaller total niche widths (i.e. higher levels of individual specialization, IS) during periods of high food availability in comparison to periods of food scarcity. Interestingly, total niche width and IS of adults remained stable across seasons despite a shift in trophic level, highlighting their potential role in providing a consistent diet for their young. These findings reveal a dynamic interplay between resource availability, parental care, and IS, with important implications for understanding population resilience under variable resource scenarios. The study also suggests that adult sparrows modify their provisioning strategies based on resources, potentially buffering offspring from environmental fluctuations. Understanding age-specific responses to resource variation is crucial for predicting species responses to ecological conditions, particularly in regions like central Chile where seasonal resource limitation is expected to become more variable in response to climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2025 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.03391","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Syntax in animal communication: its study in songbirds and other taxa","authors":"Heather Wolverton,&nbsp;Rindy C. Anderson","doi":"10.1111/jav.03258","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03258","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Many building blocks of human language can be found within the vocal communication systems of other species, most notably songbirds. One of the most prominent of these building blocks is syntax. While studies of syntax are abundant, a lack of consensus on the definition of syntax in non-human animal communication studies has led to much debate. Consistent and deliberate use of terminology is needed to facilitate understanding across disciplines. In addition, new terminology may better describe syntactic structure found in vocal signals that are devoid of semantic associations, such as birdsong. Here, we propose two terms to describe the types of syntax commonly found in birdsong: sequential syntax and dialectical syntax. Sequential syntax can be defined as the rules that govern the patterns of sound without regard to semantic meaning. Dialectic syntax can be defined as sequential syntax that is distinct among different populations or groups with behavioral significance for those groups. Taken together, these two terms can describe the type of syntax seen in ornamental signals, such as birdsong.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2024 11-12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.03258","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142665168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Different migration patterns of Wahlberg's eagles Hieraaetus wahlbergi across Africa","authors":"Ralph Buij,&nbsp;Jennifer D. McCabe,&nbsp;Andre Botha,&nbsp;Shiv R. Kapila,&nbsp;Lemein Parmuntoro,&nbsp;Simon Thomsett,&nbsp;Gareth Tate","doi":"10.1111/jav.03208","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03208","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Intra-Africa movements of most African migratory birds remain an enigma. We describe the migrations of Wahlberg's eagle <i>Hieraaetus wahlbergi</i> using GPS-GSM transmitters on adult eagles in their South African (n = 3) and Kenyan (n = 7) breeding areas between 2018 and 2022. The dataset included 57 migratory tracks, 29 post-breeding and 28 pre-breeding. We found long-distance migrants (LDMs; from South Africa) and short-distance migrants (SDMs; from Kenya) using common non-breeding areas centered in the Sudans and Central African Republic. The timing of annual phases was similar, but LDMs departed on their pre-breeding migration on average later than SDMs (13 August versus 31 July) and arrived later on their breeding grounds (13 September versus 10 August). Conversely, the average departure date on the post-breeding migration was 4 April for SDM and 23 March for LDMs. LDMs spent significantly less time of the year than SDMs on breeding grounds (44 versus 57%), and slightly but not significantly more time (40 versus 38%) on non-breeding areas. The post-breeding migration distance was on average 3413.9 ± 170.9 km for LDMs and 491.9 ± 158.5 km for SDMs. At non-breeding areas, LDMs reached more northerly latitudes than SDMs, increasing the pre-breeding migration distance to 4495.9 ± 372.5 km for LDMs versus 1701.9 ± 167.3 for SDMs. Daily flight distances back to the breeding areas averaged 153.4 ± 130.3 km for LDMs and 167.4 ± 122.3 km for SDMs and to non-breeding areas were shorter for SDMs (124.8 ± 113.0 km) than LDMs (178.0 ± 134.4 km). Migration speed was similar across populations and for pre- and post-breeding migrations. LDMs used more stopover days than SDMs. We conclude that Wahlberg's eagles from different parts of Africa have adapted their migration to differences in timing of the breeding season, distance of travel, and resources in the landscapes encountered during migration.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2025 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.03208","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Daily and seasonal use of vocalizations by nesting black-tailed godwits","authors":"Ondřej Belfín,&nbsp;Bart Kempenaers,&nbsp;Theunis Piersma","doi":"10.1111/jav.03362","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03362","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ground-nesting shorebirds must balance the need for acoustic communication at the nest with the constant threat posed by predators. Although it may seem likely that their calls are adapted to minimize detection by predators, little is known about how these birds communicate at the nest or whether they employ cryptic strategies to avoid predation. Using passive acoustic devices and software to analyse extensive acoustic data, we quantified and categorised the calls of black-tailed godwits <i>Limosa limosa limosa</i> recorded throughout the whole incubation at eight nests at a dairy farm in the Netherlands in March–June 2021. While incubating, godwits frequently use five main call types, with distinct diurnal patterns and high variation in the number of calls between breeding pairs. Birds used two quiet calls, one for communication at the nest and a second without an easily suggested meaning. Three loud calls were presumably used for predator alert, territory establishment, and long-range communication. Interestingly, although nests were close to each other and exposed to the same aerial predators, the involvement of incubating birds in predator alert calling consistently differed. Furthermore, we described the relationship between the number of predator alert calls and the probability of a godwit flying off the nest. Our findings show that incubating godwits predominantly use loud vocalizations during the day, with only a few calls at night, which were more frequent on nights with a full moon. These descriptive findings for a single godwit community should now be expanded to other contexts, experimental situations, and shorebird species.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2025 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.03362","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving population size estimation at western capercaillie leks: lek counts versus genetic methods","authors":"Gaël Aleix-Mata,&nbsp;Antonio J. López-Montoya,&nbsp;Pascal Lapébie,&nbsp;Evelyn Marty,&nbsp;Pierre Mourierres,&nbsp;Jesús M. Pérez,&nbsp;Antonio Sánchez","doi":"10.1111/jav.03176","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03176","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The western capercaillie <i>Tetrao urogallus</i>, hereafter capercaillie, is the largest galliform bird present in the boreal and montane forests of the Western Palearctic. Precise and accurate methods for estimating the number of individuals and/or their densities are crucial for the proper management of its free-ranging populations. However, obtaining reliable estimates of the abundance of populations of wild species and, particularly, of birds is not a simple task. In the case of lek-mating birds such as capercaillie, surveys are traditionally based on lek counts, that is, counts of calling males present in their mating areas: the leks. This study was carried out on the Pyrenees at six capercaillie leks where two different lek counting approaches were performed: hide-based and walk-based. The results were compared with those obtained from an estimate of minimum population size (MPE) derived from genotyping all faeces samples found in the lek area, and with a population size estimate derived from a genetic mark-recapture model (<span></span><math></math>) of each capercaillie lek. The results of <span></span><math></math> were used to estimate the detection rate (<i>D</i>) of both lek count approaches. Our results show that traditional lek counts do not detect all male capercaillies since the detection rate was 0.34 (95% CI: 0.26–0.43) for hide- and 0.56 (95% CI: 0.43–0.68) for walk-based lek counts. Our results suggest that the walk-based lek counts were more efficient than the hide-based ones, providing more accurate results compared to the <span></span><math></math> estimate. The combination of non-invasive sampling with genetic mark-recapture model was found to be the most reliable method for obtaining the <span></span><math></math> of leks given that traditional lek counts underestimate the number of capercaillie and, furthermore, can cause disturbance to the species at these sites.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2025 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.03176","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extracting reproductive parameters from GPS tracking data for a nesting raptor in Europe","authors":"Steffen Oppel,&nbsp;Ursin M. Beeli,&nbsp;Martin U. Grüebler,&nbsp;Valentijn S. van Bergen,&nbsp;Martin Kolbe,&nbsp;Thomas Pfeiffer,&nbsp;Patrick Scherler","doi":"10.1111/jav.03246","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03246","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding population dynamics requires estimation of demographic parameters like mortality and productivity. Because obtaining the necessary data for such parameters can be labour-intensive in the field, alternative approaches that estimate demographic parameters from existing data can be useful. High-resolution biologging data are frequently available for large-bodied bird species and can be used to estimate survival and productivity. We extend existing approaches and present a freely available tool (‘NestTool') that uses GPS tracking data at hourly resolution to estimate important productivity parameters such as home range establishment, breeding initiation, and breeding success. NestTool first extracts 42 movement metrics such as time spent within a user-specified radius, number of revisits, home range size, and distances between most frequently used day and night locations from the raw tracking data for each individual breeding season. These variables are then used in three independent random forest models to predict whether individuals exhibited home range behaviour, initiated a nesting attempt, and successfully raised fledglings. We demonstrate the use of NestTool by training models with data from 258 individual red kites <i>Milvus milvus</i> from Switzerland tracked for up to 7 years, and then applied those models to tracking data from different red kite populations in Germany where detailed observations of nests and their outcomes existed for validation. The models achieved &gt; 90% accurate classification of home range and nesting behaviour in validation data, but slightly lower (80–90%) accuracy in classifying the outcome of nesting attempts, because some individuals frequently returned to nests despite having failed. NestTool provides a graphical user interface that allows users to manually annotate individual seasons for which model predictions exceed a user-defined threshold of uncertainty. NestTool will facilitate the estimation of demographic parameters from tracking data to inform population assessments, and we encourage ornithologists to test NestTool for different species.</p>","PeriodicalId":15278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Avian Biology","volume":"2025 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.03246","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}