Selection of Nest Sites by Three Species of Fairy-wrens (Malurus)

Abstract

At Booligal, NSW, Superb Fairy-wrens Malurus cyaneus avoided orienting nest entrances towards the west and White-winged M. leucopterus avoided the south and west. Superb Fairy-wrens favoured the northern sector of bushes and White-winged the north-eastern sector to build nests. There was no relationship between nest position and the number of nests that produced fledglings. Superb Fairy-wrens built nests higher in bushes than White-winged and Variegated Fairy-wrens M. larnbeni. Chenopodium spp. bushes were preferred to others. Superb Fairy-wrens built further into a bush than Variegated and White- winged. There was generally no relationship between bush heights, volumes, distance to closest tree, placement of surrounding bushes and siting of nest. There were no interspecific effects on nest placement and successive nests were not affected by positions of earlier nests. White-winged Fairy-wrens placed their nests more centrally in territories than Superb.