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The Decline of the Willow Tit in Britain

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The Decline of the Willow Tit in Britain The decline of the WillowTit in Britain Alex l. G. Lewis, Arjun Amor, Elisabeth C. Chormon ond Finn R. P Stewort ABSIMCT Numbers of the BritishWillowTit Poecile montonus kleinschmidti have decreased dramatically in recent decades.This paper outlines the three main hypotheses for the decline - increased competition, increased predation and changes in habitat availability - and describes the fieldwork and analyses undertaken to try and understand its cause.The results so far are not conclusive but indicate that the loss of young, damp woodland may have been important. Possible positive management strategies are suggested. Introduction the first study to observe such a high number of Ronge ond habitot natural nests in Britain and thus provides an The British race of the Willow Tit Poecile insight into the species'breeding ecology. montanus kleinschmidti is found in England, Willow Tits remain in their territories from Wales and parts of southern Scotland, including their first breeding year and start to sing in Dumfries & Galloway and North Lanarkshire lanuary when the weather is good (Maxwell (Clyde). The species as a whole is found 2007). Between April and May, they excavate a throughout much of the Western Palearctic and nest hole in dead wood. The most frequently east through northern Asia as far as fapan, where chosen tree species in the Midlands study area it is found largely in boreal forest with conifers were willow Salix spp. (n=20), E\der Sambucus (Snow 1954; Alerstam et aL 7974; Snow & niger (n=70) (plate 21 1) and Silver Birch Betula Perrins 1998; Sellers 2002). A recent study in pendula (n=16) (plate 212),bttt nests were also northern Finland (Sitrczyk et a\.2003) showed found in Alder Alnus glutinosa (n=3), Hawthorn that in a 'mosaic forest landscape', Willow Tits Crataegus monogyna (n=2), Hazel Corylus preferred mature woodland (and pine bogs) and ayellana (n=2), Wild Cherry Prunus ayium avoided young stands. In Britain, however, the (n=1) and a conifer (n=i). The nest hole is species is associated almost exclusively with excavated in either a dead tree or a dead part of early successional habitats such as those found a live tree, or occasionally in a felled trunk (p1ate along river valleys, overgrown flooded gravel- 213). Wiilow Tits can nest successfully in a trunk pits and wet woodland (Snow & Perrins l99B). with a diameter as small as 5 cm (measured at the part of the trunk corresponding to the base Breeding ecology of the nest chamber), although the mean Three separate but related studies of Willow Tits diameter recorded was 12 cm. were commissioned by the RSPB and took place Willow Tits line their nests with material such in 2005 and 2006, and form the basis of this as feathers, animal hair, thin strips of bark and review. One of these was carried out in the the fluf$' seeds from the heads ofbthrsh Typha Midlands (South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and (plate 214). The female incubates for approx- Nottinghamshire) and involved the location and imately 14 days (Maxwe1l 2007). Of 56 nesrs observation of 56 Willow Tit nests during the studied, it was possible to inspect only 20 trvo breeding seasons (Lewis unpubl.). This was internally (with an endoscope; plate 215) so that 386 . o Erirish Birds 102 July 2009 . 386-393 The decline of the Willow Tit in .? != o ! e J= l-2a Willow Poecile 2l 3. Tit montonus nests in Elder Sombucus niger (21 I ), Silver Birch Betuto pendula (212) and a felled Hawthorn Crotoegus monogyno (213), Nottinghamshire, April 2006. clutch size could be determined. Clutch size was remain in the breeding territory all year roulrd. + found to be 8.8 0.4 (mean + I s.e.) and this was The few ringing reco\reries for this species not related to tree diameter (as measured above). support the finding t1.rat Willow Tits are In all cases, other than that described in Lewis & sedentary (but that juveniles in late summer or (.2007), Daniells i rvas impossible to calculate autumn will occasionally move more than 5 km; brood size and number of fledglings owing to: Sellers 2002). (i) the way that the chicks were invariably sitting on top of one another inside the chamber; and Populotion status (ii) the need to avoid excessive disturbance that An analysis of Con"rmon Birds Census (CBC) and prolonged viewing may have caused. Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data has shorvn that After the eggs hatch, the chicks remain in the the British Willow Tit underwent a drarnatic nest for approximately 18 days (plate 216). Once decline of880/o betrveen 1970 and 2006 (Eaton et fledged (plate 217), they remain in the al. 2008). Ringing data provide further evidence of immediate area for up to 20 days, while they a substantial population decline (Perrins 2003). In continue to be fed by both parents (Maxwell fact, of all the species mor.ritored adequately by the 2007). At the end of the breeding season, British BBS, the Willow Tit showed the greatest decline Willow Tits differ from their European (77o/o,1994 2007; Risely et a\.2008). The Repeat counterparts ir-r that they do not form gregarious Woodland Bird Survey, which looked at social groups, neither rvith conspecifics nor with population changes in woodland habitat only, also other tit species (Perrins 1979; Sellers 2002), and recorded a severe decline, of 7070 between the mid . British Eirds I 02 Juty 2009 386-393 387 The decline of theWillowTit in Britain 1980s and 2003/04 (Hewson efaL 2007). As well as losing a nest hole following its completion can a reduction in numbers, the Willow Tit has result in breeding failure. Between 1995 and suffered a marked contraction in its range in 2000, Maxwell (2002) monitored 30 Willow Tit Britain and has been iost entirely from many pairs using both natural nests and nestboxes. He counties (Gibbons et al. 1993 Smith er al. 1993). lound lhat only ten ofthese pairs were success- Owing to its population decline, the Willow Tit fu1. Of the 20 unsuccessful pairs, 18 had their appears on the UK's 'Red list' of birds of nest cavity taken over by Blue Tits and two by conservation concern (Eaton ef al.2009) and is a Great Tits. Blue and Great Tit populations have priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action increased in the UK between 1970 and 2006 Plan. However, despite the decline in numbers and (B1ue Tits by 33o/o and Great Tits by giolo) range contraction, Willow Tits still appear to be (Eaton ef al. 2008). Consequently, interspecific doing well in parts of the Midlands. Consequently, competition for nest-sites may have increased much of the recent work has focused on these and contributed to the Willow Tit's decline. apparently stable populations. Predotion Potential threots t o Willow Tit populotions Once a nest hole has been excavated and lined, Research into the decline of the Willow Tit has Willow Tits can still be noisy around their focused on three hypotheses: increased breeding site, leaving them vulnerable to competition, increased predation and habitat detection by Great Spotted Woodpeckers change. Dendrocopos major, whrch are accomplished at extracting prey from rotten wood (Wesolowski Competition 2002; Fuller et aI.2005). This species will destroy The excavation of a nest hole can be a noisy a Willow Tit nest with ease and take the eggs or activity, as both birds often call repeatedly to chicks (Lewis unpubl.) (plate 218). Willow Tits each other. Typically, the process is also visually are single-brooded and if predation occurs at obvious as it involves much physical activity and the chick stage, the pair is extremely unlikely to continual production of small wood chippings. breed again that year. Even if predation occurs at An excavating Willow Tit pair is thus vulnerabie the egg stage, the pair will have limited resources to detection by competitively superior Blue (of time and energy) for another attempt. Cyanistes caeruleus and Great Tits Parus major.If Numbers of Great Spotted Woodpeckers have either of these species finds a Wil1ow Tit nest increased dramatically in the UK (by 3l4o/o ho1e, they can oust the occupants with little between 1970 and 2006; Eaton et al.2008), and difficulty (Maxwe1l 2002). Excavating a nest hole Willow Tits may have suffered a corresponding is a time- and energy-consuming process and increase in predation rate. Hobitot Willow Tits are traditionally associated with damp, scrubby arers in Britain (Perrins 1979; Snow & Perrins 1998). Despite the steep pop- ulation decline, they can still occur dt relatively high densi- ties in some brownfield sites and disused gravel-pits, where such habitat is often charac- teri:tic (plate 2 l9) (Lewis unpubl.). However, these disused industrial sites have : become less common in ! recent decades, having been e lost to (for example) urban development and agricultural 2 I 4. EightWillowTit Poecile montonus chicks in a nestbox,Wiltshire, May clearance (Ban 2005.The bedding is made up of feathers and thin strips of bark. et aI.1993). 388 Eritish Birds 102 . July 2009 . 386-393 The decline of the Willow Tit in Britain This apparent wasteland does not have the same unoccupied patches represent unfavourable perceived biodiversity value as more established habitat; in areas which are sparsely popuiated habitats such as woodland (Mortimer er al. owing to factors other than habitat (such as 2000) and the loss of large areas of such scrub predation), many favourable sites may be unoc- could be driving the Willow Tit's deciine. cupied and thus wrongly classified as unfavourable. A large number of habitat vari- Iesting the hypotheses ond exploringthe ables were quantified (inciuding tree diameter, couses ofthe decline tree-stem density and tree species composition, Data analysis canopy cover, soil-water content, dead-wood Siriwardena (2004) showed that the major abundance and vegetation cover at varying decline in Willow Tit numbers had occurred in height bands) in both occupied and unoccupied woodland and farmland, and that populations sites, and in areas within each occupied site in wet habitats had remained stable.
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