• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.49-56
• /
• 2007

We placed and monitored 2,137 nest boxes to determine how the size of the entrance hole and the box placement influenced nest box selection by secondary cavity-nesting birds and to derive recommendations for the use of nest boxes for management of cavity-nesting birds in forested environments. A total of 566 pairs of seven bird species used the nest boxes from 1997 to 2006, 562 of which were secondary cavity-nesters. Sympatric tits such as varied tits (Parus varius), great tits (P. major), and marsh tits (P. palustris) were common breeding birds in nest boxes, and showed clear preferences for 4.0 cm, 3.5 cm and 3.0 cm nest holes, respectively. Tree sparrows (Passer montanus) and Eurasian nuthatches (Sitta europaea) preferred 4 cm and 3.5 cm holes, respectively. We did not detect selection for the directional orientation for the entrance hole, but the birds appeared to avoid nest boxes that faced steep or gentle upward slopes and those less than 1.8 m from the ground. These results are probably related to avoidance of disturbance and predation. We suggest that diverse species can be supported by the placement of nest boxes with entrance holes of various sizes and that specific species can be targeted by selecting the hole sizes preferred by those species. To attract secondary cavity-nesters, managers should avoid placing nest boxes close to the ground and facing hills. This study also suggests that careful selection and placement of nest boxes is needed to avoid biases in research using nest boxes.

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

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.43-47
• /
• 1989

An instrumentation system to measure the pressure between elastic bodies and between an elastic and a rigid body has been developed. The force between elastic bodies can be measured only by Elastric- body pressure Meter. As a standard Elastic-body pressure Meter, Model RCG-24A consists of 24 pick-ups, one switch box and one amplifier and measuring is possible at each of 24 measuring spots by swithing one to the nest using the switch box. The system can be used in various specialized disciplines, such as ergonomics, anthropometry and biomechanics.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.221-231
• /
• 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 Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.117-127
• /
• 2022

The survey of bird community characteristics was carried out four times on 2016 and 2017, respectively May and October to figure out effects of the manmade small ecosystem, Anseong. Twenty five species and 94 individuals were observed in the study area. The dominant species were Passer montanus 19.1%, Pica pica 12.8%, Cyanopica cyana 8.51%, Sinosuthora webbiana and Carduelis sinica ussuriensis respectively 7.45%, the diversity of the species was 2.787. With migration, the highest number and percentage to the lowest was residents 72.0%, summer visitors 20.0% and winter visitors 8.00%. Among 22 species which bred (check or possibility) in the manmade small ecology, Anseong, canopy (C) was 54.5%, hole (H) was 31.8%, bush (B) was 9.09% and ground (G) was 4.55% in their nesting guilds. In foraging guilds in breeding season was canopy (C) was 69.6%, bush (C) was 21.7%, water (W) and ground (G) was respectively 4.35%, and in non-breeding season, canopy was 64.0%, bush 24.0%, ground was 8.00% and water 4.00%. In the study site, the manmade habitats for birds were nest box and wetland (rain garden). In 7 nest box, Parus major was uesd 1 nest box as their breeding on 2016 and 2017, and Passer montanus was used 1 nest box on 2017. We assumed that sustainable rainwater supply may be important to attract many birds in rain garden, the manmade habitat for birds.Unfortunately, however, no birds used rain garden (wetland) as their habitats due to water shortage.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.85-89
• /
• 2018

Observations and video documentation of interactions between animals living in dens, cavities, and other enclosed spaces are difficult, but they play an important role in field biology, ecology, and conservation. For example, bird parents visiting nests and feeding their nestlings may provide crucial information for testing of ecological hypotheses and may easily attract attention of participants of citizen-science ecological and conservation projects. Because of the nest concealment of cavity-nesting birds, their behaviors in the nest can only be studied by using video surveillance. Professional wildlife surveillance systems are extremely expensive. Here, we describe an inexpensive video setup that can be constructed with relatively little effort and is more affordable than any previously described system. We anticipate that the relatively low cost of about 250 USD for a battery-operated system is an important feature for citizen-science type of projects and for applications in heavily populated areas where the potential for theft and vandalism may be high. Based on our experiences, we provide methodological advice on practical aspects of using this system in the field for ecological research on birds. We highlight the low cost, easiness of construction, and potential availability to a large number of observers taking part in wildlife monitoring projects, and we offer technical help to participants of such research projects.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.97 no.1
• /
• pp.83-87
• /
• 2008

This study was conducted to clarify the use of artificial nest boxes of tits in coniferous and deciduous forests from March to June 2006 and 2007. Tree species richness, tree species diversity and total basal area were higher in deciduous forest than in coniferous forest. Except the bush-ground layer (<1 m), the other vertical layers were more developed in deciduous forest. Varied tit Parus varius, marsh tit P. palustris, coal tit P. ater and major tit P. major used the artificial nest boxes in this study. Number of breeding pairs of tits were higher in deciduous than in coniferous forest. Clutch size, brood size and breeding success of coal tits were higher in coniferous forest. Brood size and breeding success of major tits were higher in deciduous forest. Characteristics of habitat and niche partition would be influenced on tits' use of artificial nest boxes. The more detailed researches on artificial nest boxes would be needed for management and conservation of birds.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.20 no.7
• /
• pp.145-150
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate farmers' field survey to improve animal welfare certification standards and to obtain basic data on the animal welfare level for certified farmers to develop evaluation methods of animal welfare level suitable for domestic farm environment. The subjects of the study were selected 10 animal welfare laying certified farmhouses. The farming certified farming facility survey collected breeding form, head, feed and drink space, breeding density, length and shape of perch. Animal welfare was assessed by the presence of sand bath, spawning, enrichment measures, free range, feathers pecking. The results of the study showed that most the certified animal welfare laying hens complied with the certification standards. All the farms were providing the nest box, but there were farms with more than 20% of the spawning rate. The perches were provided in sufficient length, but only three of ten farms were using rounded perches. Feather damage has been identified in most survey farms, which is likely to be due to feather damage caused by roosters producing both fertilized eggs. In this study, 10 farm households were surveyed. It was not possible to represent the whole certified farmhouse. Therefore, it should be analyzed thoroughly to evaluate the level of animal welfare.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.76 no.2
• /
• pp.109-118
• /
• 1987

The purpose of this study was to investigate the inhabiting ecology of wild birds using artificial nests in Gyeongnam province. The sort of birds, the utilization of artificial nests by the materials, by the sites and by the forest type, and other inhabiting ecology of birds were investigated from 1984 to 1986. The results obtained were as follows; 1. Wild birds in surveyed areas were classified into 20 families and 35 species. Among them the birds inhabiting the artificial nests were 6 species and those using them most frequently were Parus ater (17.2%), P. major (16.7%) and P. palustris (12.2%). 2. The artificial nests installed on the top and at the toot of the mountain were chiefly utilized by P. ater and P. major, but the artificial nests in park area were mostly used by Passer montanus and Sturnus cineraceus. 3. Sixty-one percent of the artificial nests were utilized by the birds; 45.5% were used for breeding and 15.6% were inhabitation only. 4. When different nest materials and shapes were tested, mixed nests (sawdust and cement) were used most frequently, and C type. (Diamond shape) of wood nests was used more frequently compared with the A (Roof shape) and B (Box shape) types of wood nests. Meanwhile, the birds prefered the 3cm hole size (81.1% of utilization) to 4cm of hole (57.8%) and 5cm of hole (24.4%). 5. The artificial nests constructed in mixed forest were more frequently inhabited (73.3%) by the birds than coniferous forest (68.3%) and broad-leaved forest (63.3%). 6. The period of egg-laying in Parus species was from late April to early May, while Eophona migratoria, Lanius bucephalus, Motacilla alba and Passer montanus laid eggs generally in the middle of May. 7. Parus species, Passer montanus and Motacilla alba laid one egg every day for 5-10days, but Eopphona migratoria laied 4 eggs in 7 days and Lanius bucephalus laid 5 eggs in 4 days. The incubation period of Parus species was 16-18 days, while the others were about 11 to 14 days. 8. Thirteen days after the hatch of Parus major, chicks reached 13.9g of body weight, 72.0mm of wing-length and 20.9mm of tarsus length. P. montanus chicks reached 20.3g of weight, 66.2mm of wing-length and 20.2mm of tarsus length during the same period. 9. Food item of feeding chicks almost consisted of creatures (98.2%) with following composition; 55.2% of insect larvae, 37.2% adult insects, 2.8% of pupae and 2.8% of spiders. Vegetable items were 2% only. Among those creature food items, 95.2% were insect pests to forest.