• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.100 no.3
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• pp.397-401
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• 2011

This study was conducted to clarify the breeding ecology of tits Parus spp. used artificial nest boxes in a deciduous forest at the Ansung Campus, Chung-Ang University from March through July, 2006 to 2010. Varied tit Parus varius, marsh tit P. palustris and great tit P. major bred in artificial nest boxes during our study period. There were no differences in number of breeding bird pairs among different entrance diameters of artificial nest boxes. The number of breeding pairs of great tits was the most highest among tits and that of varied tits was the least. Great tits mainly used 40 mm and 35 mm artificial nest box entrance diameter and marsh tits preferred 30 mm entrance diameter. In three tits species, there were differences in first egg date, clutch size, brood size, egg incubation period, nestling care period and breeding success among study years. It is needed the study on long-term ecological research about breeding ecology of tits related with habitat conditions.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.256-264
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• 2021

Rapid urbanization around the world has negatively affected wildlife habitats, including birds. Wild birds settled in the city are adapting to the changed surroundings, and are typically known to make nests using materials that are easy to find around the city. This study was conducted for the purpose of analyzing the nesting materials on the Paridae using artificial bird nests installed in cities. In this study, the researchers established a total of 33 artificial bird nests in urban parks (22) and forests (11) in Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do. Then we collected 4 artificial bird nests in urban parks (18.19%) and 5 in urban forests (45.46%) to compare the characteristics of bird nest materials by the nest, species, and urban green area types. Eight nests, excluding a nest abandoned by a pair of Paridae, were used for the material analysis. The collected nests were dried, and classified into natural materials (vegetable materials, animal materials, moss, and soil) and artificial materials (cotton, paper pieces, plastics, vinyl, and synthetic fibers), and then each nest was weighed. The classification result shows that the portion of moss (50.65%) was the highest in all nests, followed by soil (21.43%), artificial material (13.95%), vegetable material (5.78%), animal material (4.57%), and others (3.59%) in that order. Artificial materials were used in all nests in urban green areas. Moreover, although the Paridae used about 5.16% more vegetable material than the Parus varius, it was not significant (t=2.17, p=0.07). Plant materials and soil were most preferred in urban forests, and moss, animal, and artificial materials were widely used in that order in urban parks. There was a significant difference in the use of vegetable materials between urban parks and urban forests (t=3.07, p<0.05^*). In the habitats like urbanized and dry areas, where artificial materials are highly accessible, artificial materials replaced some roles of natural materials. This study is a basic study for the analysis of the types of materials used in artificial bird nests to understand the habitat system of urban ecosystems. It can be used as the basic data for ecological studies and conservation of the Paridae species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.221-231
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• 2023

Great tit (Parus major) is a bioindicator species that can measure environmental changes in urban ecosystems and plays an important role in maintaining health as a representative insectivorous bird. Researchers have utilized artificial nest box surveys to understand the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family of birds, including the Great tits, but it is difficult to conduct a macroscopic study due to spatial and temporal limitations. This study designed and applied a citizen-participatory monitoring of artificial nest boxes project to transcend the limitations of expert-centered monitoring methods. The Suwon Front Yard Bird Monitoring Team installed artificial nest boxes in green spaces in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province and observed the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family through the participation of voluntary citizen surveyors. Participants were recruited through an online survey from February 9 to February 22, 2021, and they directly performed from installation to observation of artificial next boxes from February 23 to August 31, 2021. Online education was provided to the volunteers for the entire monitoring process to lower the entry barrier for non-expert citizen surveyors and collect consistent data, and observation records were collected through a mobile app. A total of 98 citizen surveyors participated in the citizen-participatory monitoring of artificial nest boxes project, and 175 (84.95%) of the 256 distributed artificial nest boxes were installed in green spaces in Suwon City. Among the installed artificial nest boxes, the results of the citizen science project were confirmed for 173 (83.98%), excluding two boxes with position coordinate generation errors. A total of 987 artificial nest box observation records were collected from citizen surveyors, with a minimum of one time, a maximum of 26 times, and an average of 5.71±4.37 times. The number of observations of artificial birdhouses per month was 70 times (7.09%) in February, 444 times (44.98%) in March, 284 times (28.77%) in April, 133 times (13.48%) in May, 46 times (4.66%) in June, 6 times (0.61%) in July, and 4 times (0.41%) in August. Birds using the artificial nest boxes were observed in 57 (32.95%) of the 173 installed artificial nest boxes, and they included Great tit (Parus major) using 12 boxes (21.05%), Varied Tit (Parus varius) using 7 boxes (12.28%), and unidentified birds using 38 boxes (66.67%). This study is the first to consider citizen participation in the monitoring of artificial nest boxes, a survey method for the reproductive ecology of the Paridae family, including Great tits, and it can be utilized as basic data for the design of ecological monitoring combined with citizen science in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.97-106
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• 2020

Urban parks provide a variety of ecosystem services and are an important means of providing positive functions to urban ecosystems. Recently, various studies on wildlifes in urban parks have been conducted. However, there is a lack of research on habitat use in urban parks at important times such as before and after fledging in bird ecology. This study analyzed habitat use and home-range before and after fledging on Cheongsa park, a neighborhood park located in Cheonan city. An artificial nest was set up to check and capture great tit in fledging time. One female was captured and attached to the NTQB-2 (0.4g) radio transmitter, the location was tracked using SIKA Radio Tracking Receiver, hand-held three element Yagi antenna and GPS. Location information was recorded for 10 minutes for 3 hours each morning and afternoon for 12 days from May 17 to May 31, 2019. As a result, the home-range of the target species was 1.776 ha (MCP) and the core area was 499 ㎡ (KD 50%). The average daily home-range was 0.513 ha for the entire period, 0.688 ha before fledging, 0.339 ha after fledging based on MCP. The bird moved about 29.9 m on average and moved up to 131.7 m. For the most of the time, the great tit stayed inside the park, but the bird also used small green spaces such as street trees, tree flower beds, and green areas of unused lands. The results of this study could be applied to the study of habitat use and the greenery management policy of the urban park considering wild birds.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.155-163
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• 2012

This study was carried out to monitor reproductive responses of great tits in 17 urban forests in Daegu metropolitan city. The reproductive perspectives of great tits were surveyed by using 106 artificial bird nests, of which five or seven nests were set up in every urban forest. A ratio of artificial nests used by great tits for their reproduction was 27.4%. It was showing that forests, where the reproductive response was higher, was located at the edge of the city, or was known as having a good vegetation structure in the urban area. The laying date of a great tit was a little earlier in forests in the middle of the city. It might be dependent on the density of artificial land uses including a residential area and an industrial complex, which are able to increase an urban micro-temperature. Otherwise, natural forests or forest patches nearby natural forests located at the edge of the city were showing that the laying date of great tits was relatively later than the oneee in the forest in the middle of the city. There was a big difference of reproduction perspectives of great tit between the 1st and 2nd reproduction. In the 1st reproduction, a clutch size was larger, while an egg volume was so low. Otherwise, the clutch size was shown so smaller in the 2nd reproduction than in the 1st reproduction, while the egg volume was larger in the 2nd reproduction. It might be due to the survival strategy of a great tit to prepare the winter season for a juvenile. Many variables, regarding to the problem of climate changes, have been linked to the environment of urban area and the bird habitats. Finally, Monitoring a bird reproduction is a valuable work for managing an urban forest as well as for conserving a natural forest.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.80 no.2
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• pp.162-176
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• 1991

For the purpose of contributing to wild birds protection and propagation, distribution characteristics and ecological breeding habitats were surveyed in Mt. Chiri from September, 1986 to December, 1989 by the use of the nestboxes installed in four study sites by the altitude. The results were as follows ; 1. During the study period, observed birds were 2,403 individuals belong to 59 species, especially, at the 1,400m above altitude the rare species, Falco tinnunculus and the protecting bird species such as Ninox scutulata, Strix aluco and Prunella collaris were observed. 2. In the inhabitation structure of birds by the altitude, Fringilla montfringilla was the highest dominance (41.33%) among the inhabitated birds in the surveyed area. 3. Phasianus colchicus and Streptopelia orientalis which were mainly inhabited in hilly area were observed until the altitude of 900m. 4. The 92.5% of nest boxes was mainly used by the small birds, Parus spp. and Sitta europaea. These species preferred the nest boxes installed at the edge or along the mountaineering path, because they could get food and water easily from those places. 5. The utilization rate of the nest boxes was showed 86% at 500m, 96% at 900m, 98% at 1,400m and 90% at 1,700m above the altitude, respectively. 6. The breeding rate of birds in the nest boxes was showed from 6% to 46% by altitude. Parus varius was the highest breeding species in the surveyed area. These birds inhabited above 500m laid eggs from 15th, April to 22th, May(n=22), but those above 1,700m laid eggs from 28th, April to 27th, May(n=13), that 13 days were delayed at high altitude. 7. Food items of the chicks of the 5 species collected by the collar method were animal matters ; 91.3% of the food was forest insects such as Phalera asiimilis and Pleuroptya batteata except 8.7% of spiders.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.183-192
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• 1995

This study was conducted to investigate bird community and to suggest a proper way how to manage and protect wildbirds in Chuwangsan National Park. The survey was carried out over two survey sections by the line transect method in spring, summer and autumn in 1994. Total number of observed birds were 42 species(33 species in spring, 32 species in summer, and 26 species in autumn), and the result was the same with the typical pattern of temperate bird communities. Total number of natural monument and rare birds were 7 species, which included Golden Eagle(Aquila chrysaetos), Chinese Sparrow Hawk(Accipter soloensis), Eagle Owl(Bubo bubo), etc. In breeding season, species richness was high in canopy nesting guild, and density(ea/ha) was high in hole nesting guild. Canopy foraging guild was dominated in spring and summer, ratio of bush(or ground) foraging guild was increased in autumn. Since the habitats of observed natural monuments and rare species were roughly overlapped with the nature preservation area, it is necessary to preserve the area completely and to investigate and protect these species continuously. For the protection of the bush(or ground) foraging guild, it needs to plant bushes around trails and to control users. Food plants, artificial food planting of bushs, and artificial nest are needed for the habituation of wildbirds, and as the damage of wild cats is increasing lately, it needs to control these cats.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2012

Yellow bitterns (Ixobrychus sinensis) are a small wetland bird common to Asian countries including South Korea, Japan, and China. The aim of this study is to describe diet of yellow bitterns during the breeding season in artificial wetland of northeastern South Korea between May to August 1999-2001. For the purposes of this paper, we observe the frequency of nest visiting by parents during the chick rearing period. A total of 98 boluses regurgitated by 52 chicks aged 1 day to 11 days after hatching form the sample and are shown to contain 323 food items. A bolus contained mean 3.8 items and weighs 0.2 g to 7.7 g. The most regularly occurring food items recorded are fish (63%) and insets (33%). In terms of fish, top mouth minnows (Pseudorasbora parva) and crucian carps (Carassius auratus) are frequently observed. In terms of insects, there are mosquitoes (Diptera), instars of dragonfly (Libelluidae), damselflies (Coenagrinonidae) and water bugs (Diplonychus japonicus). Yellow bitterns were also shown to feed on bull frogs (Rana catesbeiana), shrimp (Palaemonidae), and spiders (Araneae). The size of fish in a bolus ranged from 15.56 mm to 93.73 mm (mean, 37.08 mm). The amount of food can be observed to increase with the age of chicks (r = 0.279, P = 0.025, N = 64) but parents did not provide larger fish as chicks grew. Parent birds visited nests more frequently when they have a larger brood ($F_{1,21}$ = 14.529, P = 0.001). Our results suggest that fish is the most important prey during the breeding season and that age of chicks is related to amount of diet in yellow bitterns.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 1996

This study was conducted to investigate the avifauna and to suggest the management discipline for the protection of bird community in Odaesan National Park. Field survey was carried over 2 main trails by line transect method from mid June to early December in 1996. The 1st section included the area from Woljongas to Sangwonsa 7km distance. The 2nd section survey started from Sangwonsa via Bukdaesa and the summit of Odaesan to Sangwonsa 9.8 km distance. The study results were as follows ; The observed birds belonged to 9 orders 22families 52species, they also had Black Woodpecker(Dryocopus martius)designated as natural monument No. 242, Chinese Sparrow Hawk(Accipiter soloensis) and Kestrel(Falco tinnunculus) as natural munumet No. 323, Scops Owl(Out scops)and Korean Wood Owl(Strix aluco) as No. 324. These birds also were classified into 25 species for residents, 16 species for summer visitors, 8 species for passage migrants, 3 species for winter visitors, respectionely. The 2nd section showed a high species richness and individuals in every season, however, had a difference in species composition with 1st section. Nesting guild of breeding bird community used highly in order of bush, hole, and canopy as a nest resources. It is suggested that high bush-nesting guild had a deep relationship with bush layer located in the ecotone of 1st section and that located in the high elevated zone in 2nd section. Hole-nesting guild such as Black Woodpecker(Dryocopus martius), Gray-headed Woodpecker(Picus canus) and Great Spotted Woodpecker(Dendrocopos major) were surveyed only in 2nd section, so it could be attribute to the small fragmentation and the growing of high diameter at breast height(D.B.H) tree in 2nd section. It is urgent that the management of camping ground and people for the conservation of brook in 1nd section, trail protection for the prevention from trail enlargement in 2nd section for the bird protection. Artificial food in snowy winter will provide the good breeding condition with the residents and migrants. And, the endeavor to lessen the habitat fragmentation will be beneficial to the birds who have a large home range such as Black Woodpecker(Dryocopus martius) and Korean Wood Owl(Strix aluco). For the control of Domestic Dove(Columba livia) populations, it could be recommended that the elimination of their nesting resources by net.