Cavity-Nesting Birds of North American Forests: Agriculture Handbook 511Scott, Virgil E.
Science
Cavity-Nesting Birds of North American Forests: Agriculture Handbook 511
Scott, Virgil E.
Birds -- Nests; Birds -- North America; Cavity-nesting birds -- North America; Forest birds -- North America
Habitat: The natural nesting population of purple martins prefer open
woodlands or cutover forests where suitable snags remain. Purple martins
have been reported in oak, sycamore, ponderosa pine, Monterey pine,
spruce, and fir forests of California (Grinnell and Miller 1944). In the
Southwest, the purple martin breeds in the ponderosa pine belt and in
the saguaro cactus desert.
Nest: The western purple martin has not adapted to nesting in boxes as
well as the eastern form (Bunch 1964), and much of the western
population depends upon holes made by woodpeckers, usually in tall pines
in relatively open timber stands (Bent 1942). Martins also nest in old
woodpecker holes in saguaro cactus. We have recorded 21 nests near
Cibecue, Arizona, all in ponderosa pine snags. Nests ranged from 25 to
35 feet above ground. Nest compartments in martin houses should be 6 × 6
× 6 inches with an entrance hole 2½ inches in diameter 1 inch above the
floor. The boxes should be 15 to 20 feet above ground.
Food: The purple martin feeds on the wing, and nearly all the diet is
insects, although some spiders are taken (Beal 1918). Johnston (1967)
examined the stomach contents of 34 martins collected in April, May,
June, and August in Kansas. Beetles, true bugs, flies, bees, and wasps
were the important food items. Although the purple martin has been
credited for feeding on large numbers of mosquitoes (Bent 1942), it was
not documented by the two food habit studies mentioned.
Black-capped chickadee
_Parus atricapillus_
L 4½″
[Illustration]
Habitat: Black-capped chickadees nest throughout southern Canada and the
northern half of the United States. In Missouri, the black-capped
chickadee generally nests north of the Missouri River and the Carolina
chickadee nests south of the River. The breeding range extends farther
south at higher elevations of the Rocky and Appalachian Mountain ranges
than in non-mountainous areas. In Colorado, black-caps are most abundant
in the ponderosa pine and aspen forests (Bailey and Niedrach 1965).
Nest: Chickadees nest in cavities but roost anywhere convenient,
generally not in cavities (Odum 1942). The most suitable nesting sites
are stubs with partially decayed cores and firm shells. They usually
excavate their own cavities, but will use natural cavities or nest
boxes. Black-caps will occasionally nest in a cavity they used the
previous year after making some alterations. Preferred nesting sites
throughout the eastern forests are tree species that occur in the early
seral stages but that are short lived and persist in the intermediate
stages as decaying stubs (Odum 1941, Brewer 1961).
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