Renesting intervals in Sprague's Pipit, Anthus spragueii

Abstract

Many bird species will attempt to raise more than one clutch in a given breeding season. For grassland songbirds, the interval between nesting attempts is usually measured indirectly because individual birds are difficult to track once a nest has failed or their chicks have fledged. Here we report observations of renesting by Sprague's Pipits (Anthus spragueii) carrying radio transmitters. As part of a larger study of pipit nesting ecology, we monitored activity patterns of radio-tagged adult females in 1994 and 1995. Three birds started replacement nests 10-15 days after losing a clutch, and one started a second nest 21 dayss after succesfully fledging chicks. Such long intervals between nesting attempts support the impression that the frequency of renesting in pipits is relatively low.