J Ornithol (2010) 151:297–307 DOI 10.1007/s10336-009-0455-6 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Habitat structure versus food abundance: the importance of sparse vegetation for the common redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus Nicolas Martinez • Lukas Jenni • Eric Wyss • Niklaus Zbinden Received: 29 October 2008 / Revised: 3 September 2009 / Accepted: 21 September 2009 / Published online: 8 October 2009 Ó Dt. Ornithologen-Gesellschaft e.V. 2009 Abstract As many other birds breeding in agricultural surfaces with sparse vegetation than unoccupied control areas, the common redstart declined strongly in many sites. Redstarts made almost five times more hunting flights Central European countries over the last 60 years. The into experimentally established ruderal vegetation strips destruction of traditionally managed orchards, an important than into adjacent unmown meadows. No difference was breeding habitat in Central Europe, is a relevant cause. An observed when the meadow was freshly mown. Vegetation additional factor for the decline of this species could be the height and the proportion of open ground surface correctly intensified management of the ground vegetation in orch- predicted the vegetation type for hunting in 77% of the ards through reducing food availability and lowering prey cases. Experiments in aviaries offering two types of sparse detectability and accessibility. In this study we examined vegetation and a dense meadow supported the results of the the importance of surfaces with sparse vegetation for the field experiments. Even a four-fold increase of the food location of redstart territories and for foraging. To validate abundance in the meadow did not lead to a noticeable the results of these field studies we made habitat-choice change in preference for the sparse vegetation types. For experiments in aviaries with captive birds. Territories the conservation of the common redstart, not only tradi- occupied by redstarts in orchards of northwestern tionally managed orchards with tall trees with cavities Switzerland contained a significantly higher proportion of should be preserved but also areas with sparse vegetation should be favored. Keywords Orchard Á Habitat structure Á Foraging Á Communicated by F. Bairlein. Farmland Á Phoenicurus phoenicurus N. Martinez Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland Introduction N. Martinez Á L. Jenni Á N. Zbinden Swiss Ornithological Institute, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland The intensified management of farmland over the last e-mail: [email protected] 50 years is responsible for the decline of many bird species N. Zbinden breeding in agricultural areas all over Europe (Bauer and e-mail: [email protected] Berthold 1996; Donald et al. 2006; Wretenberg et al. 2006). A bird that suffered a strong decline in several & N. Martinez ( ) European countries is the common redstart (Zbinden et al. Hintermann & Weber AG, Austrasse, 2a, 4153 Reinach, Switzerland 2005; BirdLife International 2006). This species depends e-mail: [email protected] on open and savannah-like woodland and was common in traditionally managed orchards with trees that have high E. Wyss trunks and cavities in Switzerland (Schmid et al. 1998). In Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, 5070 Frick, Switzerland Switzerland, orchards even became the main habitat for e-mail: eric.wyss@fibl.org redstarts after open woodland disappeared. In the course of 123 298 J Ornithol (2010) 151:297–307 the mechanization of agricultural management practices, important character of common redstart territories in many of these orchards have disappeared. orchards. Secondly, we studied the degree of preference of Another presumed reason for the decline is a worsened sparse ground vegetation for foraging within the territory. detectability and accessibility of prey in the meadows of Thirdly, we studied whether a high prey density could the orchards due to intensified farming practices such as compensate for missing sparse vegetation within the for- fertilizer input (Donald et al. 2001; Vickery et al. 2001). aging site of the common redstart. Fertilizer input leads to denser and higher vegetation Specifically we tested the following three main predic- (Jacquemyn et al. 2003). Intensively managed meadows tions: (a) The proportion of sparse vegetation is higher in may also have a reduced density and diversity of inverte- occupied redstart territories than in unoccupied control brates (Britschgi et al. 2006). Detecting prey in high and sites in orchards with potential nest sites. (b) Sparse veg- dense grassland takes much more time than detecting the etation within territories is important for foraging. Red- same prey in sparse vegetation of low height (Butler et al. starts make disproportionately more hunting flights into 2004). Additionally, it is more difficult to reach and catch a sparse vegetation types. (c) Very high prey densities would prey item in dense and high vegetation (Jakober and be needed to compensate for unsuitable structural qualities Stauber 1987; Schaub 1996; Atkinson et al. 2005). In the of a vegetation type. We tested these hypotheses by com- context of optimal foraging theory (Krebs et al. 1977), a paring occupied territories with unoccupied control sites bird should therefore prefer sparse vegetation for foraging. and by performing direct observations of wild redstarts, The common redstart is a sit-and-wait predator that hunts field experiments with newly installed ruderal vegetation from vantage points (Menzel 1971) and catches about 50% plots and experiments in aviaries. of all prey on the ground (Sedla´cek et al. 2004). Therefore the changes of the ground vegetation of orchards due to their intensification could be an important reason for the Methods decline of the common redstart. Agri-environment schemes are used all throughout Sparse vegetation in territories and unoccupied sites Europe to counteract negative effects of farmland intensi- fication (Kleijn and Sutherland 2003). In Switzerland, a Study design and study sites nationwide agri-environment scheme was launched in 1993 and the first results show that it indeed seems to have a To test the hypothesis that the proportion of sparse vege- moderately positive effect on farmland birds (Birrer et al. tation is higher in redstart territories than in unoccupied 2007). Among several agri-environment measures in control sites, we compared redstart territories with unoc- Switzerland, there is one that pays farmers for each orchard cupied control sites in the same orchard, both with poten- tree with a high trunk they cultivate (Bundesamt fu¨r tial nest sites available. In April and May 2006, 24 Landwirtschaft 2007). The aim is to stop the destruction of territories were mapped in ten traditionally managed orchards. Orchards, however, are still destroyed and the orchards in NW Switzerland, known to hold breeding population of the common redstart did not stabilize since populations of common redstarts from earlier work (Biber agri-environment schemes exist in Switzerland (Zbinden et al. 1996). As control sites, we selected sites that were not et al. 2005). While trees with nesting sites may be pre- occupied by a redstart pair but offered potential nest sites served, there is no suitable management of the soil vege- (free and suitable nest boxes or natural cavities). For each tation under the trees. The actual measures for orchard territory one out of all potential control sites occurring in trees therefore are likely to be only half of what is needed the same orchard but at least 150 m away from the nest was for the preservation of the common redstart. An additional randomly chosen. measure could be the establishment of sparse vegetation plots within orchards to facilitate foraging for the common Habitat description redstart. Other endangered bird species living in orchards, e.g.; woodchat shrike Lanius senator, Eurasian hoopoe Between May and July 2006 the habitat was mapped on a Upupa epops and wryneck Jynx torquilla also catch a large circular area with a radius of 50 m (7,850 m2), which proportion of their prey on the ground in sparse vegetation corresponds to the size of a redstart territory (1,400– (Bauer and Berthold 1996; Schaub 1996). Thus, their 5,000 m2, Menzel 1971; up to 10,000 m2, Glutz von populations might also benefit from new management Blotzheim 1988). For territories with known nest sites, the measures in orchards. nest was taken as circle center, for territories with unknown To find new and effective management measures for nest sites the center of the ‘‘paper territory’’ (based on 5–11 redstarts and other ground-hunting bird species in orchards observations), and for control sites an unoccupied nest site. we first studied whether sparse ground vegetation is an Within each circle roads, trees and parcel borders were 123 J Ornithol (2010) 151:297–307 299 Table 1 The 16 different vegetation types that occurred in all vegetation types 4 habitat types 2 habitat types territories and in control areas and the four and two habitat dense meadow types they were classified into low intensity meadows dense vegetation dense lawn pasture maize fields large surfaces with potato fields sparse vegetation mustard fields vineyards woods sparse forest forest vegetable garden non-asphalted roads small surfaces with ruderal vegetation strips sparse vegetation small sparse vegetation patches cereal fields not considered asphalted roads mapped. A standardized photograph of 1 m2 vertically every 5 m. Thus, using them as vantage points, redstarts