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Quail eggs, modelling clay eggs, imprints and small mammals in an Australian woodland

Authors: Fulton, Graham R.; Ford, Hugh A.;

Quail eggs, modelling clay eggs, imprints and small mammals in an Australian woodland

Abstract

Artificial nests and eggs have become popular and useful tools for studying nest predation on birds. In particular, they may assist in the identification of nest predators. However, quail eggs commonly used in many nest-predation studies may exclude the detection of predation by small-mouthed mammals, which may not be able to break the eggshells as readily as eggs of small passerines. In this study captive Brown Antechinus (Antechinus stuartii) were given Japanese Quail eggs. They failed to break the shell, although they consumed the egg's contents if the shell had been broken for them. Field trials were conducted in a large woodland fragment on the New England Tableland, New South Wales, using clay and quail eggs to identify predators. Pied Currawongs (Strepera graculina), and possibly other birds, were found to be the most significant nest predators. Mammals were judged to play a comparatively small role. However, we detected large imprints in one modelling clay egg, which corresponded with Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) incisors. In addition, we report that clay eggs soften at high temperatures, which may affect the size of a predator's imprint, and therefore cause its misidentification.

Country
Australia
Keywords

Behavior and Systematics, Evolution, 590, 1103 Animal Science and Zoology, 1105 Ecology, 2309 Nature and Landscape Conservation

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    citations
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    16
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Powered by OpenAIRE graph
citations
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
16
Average
Average
Average