Nest predator species of open nesting songbirds of abandoned fields in «Russky Sever» National Park (Russia)

Abstract

The study was conducted in the southern part of the «Russky Sever» National Park during 2016–2017 as a part of the research on the life history and demography of songbirds breeding in abandoned fields. The nest fate was established by using motion-sensing trail cameras. Among 87 controlled nests, 36 were depredated and revealed at least seven predator species. Almost all predators were mainly attracted by nests with nestlings. But not all predation events led to fully depredated nests. Our data suggest that the local populations of ground-nesting passerines in national park «Russky Sever» are under the influence of several groups of nest predators.

Keywords

• breeding success
• ground nesting passerines
• nest predation
• trail cameras