Nest-box color preference and reproductive success of great tit

Abstract

To investigate the color preference of Great Tit in nest-box selection and its impact on reproductive efficiency, experiments were conducted by hanging black, blue, green, white, and red nest-boxes in Zuojia Natural Reserve, Jilin Province, from March to July in each year of four consecutive years (2007-2010). Occupancy status of the boxes and reproductive parameters of the birds were recorded and analyzed. Occupancy rate of red boxes was compared to the average of the boxes in other colors pooled together. The occupancy rate of red nest-boxes was significantly higher than the average of all other colors combined for year 2007 (χ2 =5. 51,df =1,0. 01