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Spiders (Araneae) As Bird Food

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Spiders (Araneae) As Bird Food Proc. 16th Europ. Coll. Arachnol. 91-105 Siedlce, 10.03.1997 Spiders (Araneae) as bird food Peter GAJDOS1 and Anton KRISTIN2 I Institute of Landscape Ecology of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Akademicka 2, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia. 2 Institute of Forest Ecology of Slovak Academy of Sciences, StUrova 2, 960 03 Zvolen, Slovakia. Key words: spiders, species composition, food of birds, food variability, Slovakia, Bavaria. ABSTRACT The diet of 40 bird species (passerines, woodpeckers, Coraciiformes) was studied using the neck ring method and dropping analysis. Altogether 60,335 food items out of 7,919 food samples were examined. One hundred and sixteen spider species belonging to 60 genera and 20 families were found in the food of 34 bird species. Diaea dorsata, Xysticus lanio, Philodromus rufus, Araniella cucurbitina and species of the genus Coelotes played the important role in the diet. Rare species like Dipoena inornata, Entelecara erythropus, Hypsosinga albovittata, Pardosa sordidata, Cheiracanthium montanum, Marpissa radiata, Sitticus caricis and Araniella proxima (first record for Slovakia) were found. INTRODUCTION Spiders are important food for many evertebratophagous (insectivorous) and omnivorous birds. Their proportion and species composition in food of some bird species during the breeding period is mentioned by several authors (e.g. Bures 1986; Prokofjeva 1986; Torok 1988; Torok & T6th 1988; Sacher & Dornbusch 1990; Renner & Dick 1992; Kristin 1994, 1995). Bird predation, as one of the reasons of winter mortality in spruce-living spiders, was studied by Askenmo et al. (1977), Norberg (1977) and Gunnarsson (1983). Thaler (1973) observed the behaviour of goldcrests (Regulus r. regulus), foraging in spruce during winter in the surroundings of Innsbruck (Austria), which preferred small spiders (about 2 mm long). The composition and proportion of arachnids in the food of Turdus philomelos in winter samples is reported by Fraticelli (1982). Walzberg (1993) studied the food of Lanius collurio and the proportion of arachnids in its diet. The articles mentioned concern detailed studies and deal with very narrow fields; more general data are not available. 91 The aims of the present study were: 1. to analyse the food variability and to determine the proportion of spiders in the diet of 40 selected bird species, 2. to present a survey of the determinable taxa of spiders occurring in the food of nestlings of 21 selected bird species and their qualitative and quantitative structure. MATERIAL AND METHODS The diet of 40 bird species (passerines, woodpeckers, Coraciiformes) was studied using the neck ring method and dropping analysis. The study area . was mainly located in oak-beech forests, pastures and hedges in Slovakia and Bavaria. The research period lasted from May to July in the years 1978-1994. During the study 60,335 food items out of 7,919 food samples were examined. From 11 Slovak localities only 1,176 spider specimens of 3,191 spider items (neck ring samples, 21 bird species) could be determined to the family, genus or species level. The relative abundance (n %) of each spider taxon out of all determined specimens (Ln = 1,176) and relative frequency (f %) of each spider taxon out of all food samples with determined spider taxa (Lf = 610) are given in Tab. 2. RESULTS I. Food of selected bird species during the breeding period During the breeding period 40 investigated bird species consumed a wide spectrum of different taxonomical groups. Caterpillars of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Coleoptera (beetles), Hymenoptera, Homoptera and Diptera (flies and midges) were eudominant components for majority of bird species. Spiders (3,191 items = 5.3 %) were found in the food of 34 bird species (Tab. 1). In the food of 12 bird species spiders were found eudominantly (n > 10 %). The highest proportion of spiders was observed in the food of Remiz pendulinus (35.2 %), Picoides tridactylus (33.6 %) and Parus caeruleus (31.3 %) (Tab. 1). 11. Species composition of spiders in bird food The spider specimens from 11 Slovakian localities were assigned to 116 species, 60 genera and 20 families (more than 118 of the Slovakian spider fauna), including rare and interesting species: Dipoena inornata, Entelecara erythropus, Hypsosinga albovittata, Pardosa sordidata, Cheiracanthium montanum, Marpissa radiata, Sitticus caricis, and Araniella proxima, the latter being new for the country . The most abundant and most frequent spider species were (Tab. 2): Xysticus lanio (found in 11 bird species with n = 15.2 %), Diaea dorsata (in 11 bird species with 11.8 %), Araneus triguttatus (in 10 bird species with 3.3 %), and Araniella cucurbitina (in 10 bird species with 3.3 %). 92 Tab. 1. Foof of 40 bird sp!Cies dLUing the b.. eeding period 1978-1994 i 3 bi~ (m %, FID - miute frequency/dominarre, GL - Gastropoda, Lumtricidae, IDC -Isopxla, DiplopOOa, Chil.oIXXla, AR - Araneae, OP -Opiliones, Ps - PseuOOscotpione OR - 0l1:h0Jma, HE - Hetet~ HO - H CD - COleoj:Xera, HY -Hy Lb-T Dl-Di~ Vlli -QIant seeds. U IH - otherS). Food 2roup AR OP GL IDC OR HE HO CO HY LE DI VEG OTH Bird species F/ D Ps Aegithalos caudatus 16/ 173 1.2 2.9 - - - 69.4 4.6 0.6 16.2 9.8 -- Anthus trivialis 71/ 233 13.7 0.4 -- 9.9 1.7 13.4 6.9 4.3 28.0 24.5 - - Certhia familia/'is 82/ 809 8.3 4.6 1.4 0.1 - 2.1 40.7 1.4 1.2 15.1 9.6 - 19.0 Carduelis chloris 13/ 267 - -- - - - - 14.2 - - - 85.8 - Carduelis cannabina 10/ 525 - - - - - - 0.2 1.5 - -- 98.3 - Coc. coccothraustes 111 267 5.6 - 1.1 - 0.7 - - 15.4 0.4 49.4 0.4 27.0 - Dendrocopos major 31/ 1,390 1.0 3.7 0.1 0.4 - 0.7 14.9 8.2 47.8 6.3 11.5 5.0 0.7 Dryocopus martius 39/ 6,092 0.1 - --- 0.1 0.1 6.6 92.9 0.2 0.1 - 0.1 Emberiza citrinella 43/ 241 5.0 - 0.4 - 10.4 - 3.4 7.1 0.4 28.6 21.6 22.8 0.3 Erithacus rubecula 150/ 457 14.9 2.6 0.7 6.6 '0.2 0.7 11.8 14.0 8.8 16.6 16.6 0.2 6.3 Ficedula albicollis 4511 3,432 10.3 2.6 0.3 2.7 0.4 5.6 4.3 19.3 14.4 16.3 18.0 - 6.4 Jynx torquilla 52/ 3,996 - - 0.1 - - - 0.1 0.1 99.7 -- - - Lanius coUurio 24/ 144 0.7 -- 0.7 11.1 6.9 - 49.1 16.7 9.7 3.5 - 0.7 Lanius minor 260/ 346 -- 0.6 1.7 64.6 -- 19.2 - 14.2 - - 0.3 Lanius excubitor 125/ 544 1.5 - - 0.8 8.9 1.5 - 36.8 32.4 3.2 1.5 - l3.4 Merops apiaster 125/ 2,174 - - - - 0.2 2.6 - 16.3 70.5 2.9 5.1 - 2.4 Oenanthe oenanthe 65/ 234 5.1 - 0.8 0.8 11.9 - 5.5 22.1 13.6 28.5 11.1 - 0.4 Parus ater 206/ 1,104 15.5 0.4 0.8 - 3.7 1.1 44.9 1.2 0.9 27.6 2.4 - 1.4 Parus caeruleus 250/ 550 31.3 - 1.1 - - 1.1 4.2 4.2 - 56.9 0.7 - 0.5 Parus major 773/ 1,287 17.4 1.5 1.8 2.3 5.4 0.2 60.3 0.3 '-D - 1.1 - _~.5_ '--- 0.4 w ':f Tab. 1 cont. Food group AR OP GL JDC OR HE HO CO HY LE DJ VEG OTH Bird species FI D Ps Parus palustris 293/ 1,836 7.8 - 0.6 - 0.1 1.6 11.3 2.0 0.4 69.3 7.0 - - Passer domestieus 106/ 612 8.9 8.9 0.4 - 1.2 2.3 17.8 26.5 0.8 22.2 9.5 5.9 4.5 Passer montanus 1120/ 5,820 4.2 0.2 0.8 - 0.2 1.3 25.8 20.8 0.7 29.0 12.4 4.4 0.2 Phoenieurus oehrll/"os 40/ 225 3.6 7.1 0.9 3.5 0.4 1.3 9.8 30.7 19.6 10.2 12.9 - - Phylloseopus eoIlybita 233/ 1,365 11.2 0.3 2.6 0.1 0.8 8.4 23.7 0.2 2.2 15.5 25.1 - 9.8 P. sibilatrix 90/ 312 16.1 1.5 4.5 - - 4.1 10.6 5.8 1.6 11.2 38.8 - 5.8 Pieapiea 223/ 2,561 1.5 - 3.6 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.03 39.8 0.6 17.6 31.0 4.2 1. Pieoides tridaetylus 162/ 812 33.6 0.6 0.7 0.1 - - 0.6 50.5 5.7 - 7.8 - 0.4 Pieus viridis 41/ 4,050 0.2 - - - - - 0.2 99.6 - - - - Prunella modularis 173/ 3,957 4.5 16.1 1.6 0.8 0.1 0.4 38.7 3.4 2.3 7.7 9.0 - 15.3 Remiz pendulinus 260/ 856 35.2 - 1.6 - - 0.8 46.3 1.2 0.2 14.2 - - 0.3 Sturnus vulgaris 12 J/ 685 9.2 - 3.2 3.4 7.0 1.5 0.4 45.7 1.6 21.7 5.1 1.2 - Sitta eu/"Opaea 1585/ 10,892 3.3 5.8 0.7 0.4 0.1 17.2 9.6 15.0 2.4 28.7 14.7 0.1 2.0, Sylvia atricapilla 23/ 17l 5.8 - 2.9 0.6 - 5.8 28.1 15.8 0.6 15.2 10.5 14.6 - Sy/via borin 14/ 117 8.5 - - - - 0.8 23.0 16.2 7.6 15.4 12.7 15.4 - Sy/via curruea 22/ 136 10.3 - 1.5 - 1.5 8.1 22.0 9.6 5.1 27.2 7.3 5.1 2.2 T.
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