Blue tits are ultraviolet tits
The blue tit (Parus caeruleus) has been classified as sexually monochromatic. This classification is based on human colour perception yet, unlike humans, most birds have four spectrally distinct classes of cone and are visually sensitive to wavelengths in the near-ultraviolet (300 to 400 nm). Reflectance spectrophotometry reveals that blue tit plumage shows considerable reflection of […]
Context-dependent visual preferences in starlings and blue tits: mate choice and light environment
There is considerable interest in the role that ultraviolet (UV) cues play in the foraging and mate choice decisions of birds. However, with the exception of the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata, it is not yet clear whether ultraviolet preferences are context specific, or whether birds show a general preference for full-avian-spectrum environments 320-700 nm) irrespective […]
Vertical and horizontal transmission of nest site preferences in titmice
Social learning is widely used among vertebrates to acquire information about a variable environment. We conducted a study of social learning in the wild which involved cross-fostering eggs of blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus, to nests of great tits, Parus major, and vice versa. This allowed us to quantify the consequences of being reared in a […]
Milk bottles revisited: social learning and individual variation in the blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus
Blue tits are famous for the ‘milk bottle’ innovation, which emerged at numerous sites across Britain in the early 20th century. However, overall we still know little about the factors that foster or hinder the spread of innovations, or of the impact of individual differences in behaviour on social transmission. We used a two-action and […]
Immediate effects of capture on nest visits of breeding blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus, are substantial
Although capture, handling and marking of birds as well as taking samples from them are ubiquitous and, in most cases, unavoidable procedures in ornithological research, their immediate effects on the individuals remain largely unstudied. Here, we present data over 3 years from a long-term field study on the breeding biology of the blue tit. Parents […]