• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 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
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• v.94 no.5 s.162
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• pp.338-341
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• 2005

This study was conducted to describe the differences in artificial nest boxes use of tits between deciduous and coniferous forests at 2nd campus of Chung-Ang University ($37^{\circ}00^{\prime}04^{{\prime}{\prime}}N$, $127^{\circ}13^{\prime}96^{{\prime}{\prime}}E$), Ansung, Korea from January to August 2005. Tree species richness, tree species diversity index (H') and total basal areas were higher in deciduous forest than in coniferous forest. High, middle, low and understory canopy layers were more developed in deciduous forest, except the coverage of bush-ground layer. Varied tit Parus varius, marsh tit P. palustris and great tit P. major used the artificial nest boxes in this study. Number of breeding pairs of tits used artificial nest boxes, clutch size, and weight and size of eggs were higher in deciduous forest than in coniferous forest. The differences in habitat structure between study sites are very likely to have influenced how breeding birds used the available habitat. Artificial nest boxes could be used as management and conservation tool for birds, particularly in areas, where the availability of natural cavities and coverage of higher layer are limited.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.152-162
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• 2021

Background: Recent declines in bee populations, along with increasing demand for pollination services in urban, agricultural, and natural environments, have led to strategies to attract wild bees to these areas. One of these strategies is installing artificial nests adjacent to urban gardens and agricultural farms. Bee hotels and nest boxes are among the artificial nests used by gardeners and farmers to attract pollinators. In this paper, we reviewed 50 studies that reported the efficiency of nest boxes and bee hotels in attracting bees. We considered the maximum occupation rate (percentage) as the main index to evaluate the efficiency of artificial nests. Results: The maximum occupation rate of bee hotels was higher in farms (averaged 44.1%) than in forests (averaged 30.3%) and urban (averaged 38.3%) environments. In the case of nest boxes, most studies reported efficiencies of less than 20%, with an occupation rate of 16% and 5.5% on average in forest and urban environments respectively. However, our meta-analysis results showed that there was no significant relationship between the occupation rate of the nests and their installation place. Regression analysis also showed that the structural features of bee hotels (length and diameter) and nest boxes (volume and entrance size) did not affect their efficiency in attracting bees. Conclusion: Our data showed that the strategy of installing artificial nests to attract pollinators is successful only concerning bee hotels, and the use of nest boxes has not been very successful.

• 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 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.

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

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.89-127
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• 1965

1. This report is on the outcome of observation made up the breeding process of Narcissus flycatcher, Muscicapa narcissina zanthopygia, using 15 ness-boxes at Seoul and Kwang Nung Experimental forest in 1964, and the relevant feeding habit was studied by the collar method of wrapping the necks of thenestlings for 50-60 minutes or more in some cases from 1963 to 1964. 2. The Narcissus flycatcheris a common summer resident throughout Korea arriving at the end of April. The earliest data of arrival of this species in Seoul, is April 26, 1964. They migrate southward from the later part of September to early part of October. 3. In a week after their arrival , they start to build nest after a brief courtship. Male and female prepare their nest ina nestboxes in 4 or 5 days. Nests are usually found in the moss, which provide definite frame-work. The inner side of the nest is usually composed of roots of Gramineae or leaves of pine, oak or other broad leave tree. 4. The laying period is generally from the later part of April to the middle of June : and the number of eggs laid is from 3 to 8 , therefore 5 in average : eggs are pink with traces of milky yellow blending of light auburn and orange red spots and chicken-egg-like in shape. 5.The incubation takes place for 7-12 days from the middle part of May to the middle of June, in the order of male and female . The hatching rate tends to increase in proportion to clutch size. 6. The feeding period usually lasts 15 days in average from the early part of June to the middle of July and the feeding urge tends to increase in proportion to brood size. 7. The animals invading into their nest-boxes are red ants, chipmunks, bees , barkbeetles and philippine red-tailed shirkes, etc. 8. On the basis of analysis covering 714 birds in 31 nests, the food they consumed during the nesting period of nestlings were mostly of animal matters composing of : insect larvae form-39. 88% insect adult form 36.26%, insect pupae-0.19%, spider-17.75% and other animal matters 5.92% , Besides a small amount of plant pieces were found . As to the insect larvae, Lepidoptera was the largest in the content followed by Hymenoptera , Orthoptera and Coleoptera. As to the insect adult, Diptera was the largest in the content followed by Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera. In view of forest protection, noxious insect was of 69.38%, useful insect 4.39%, and spider 17.75%. 9. The rich assortment of its food, the ability of acquiring various insect (adults as well as larvae), its destruction of great numbers of harmful insects , and its quick assimilation artificial nesting with the nest-boxes of 2.5-3cm entrance hole employed, allow us to conclude that the flycatcher may be successfully employed in the elimination of fores pests. The above results are only that part obtained near Seoul in the middle of Korea, however, if we would extend the scheme to other broad areas using similar techniques, the nest-boxes could not only be well used by the birds, but also it would help to prevent the increase of harmful. insects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• autumn
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• pp.107-109
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• 2004

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.415-424
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• 2015

This research was conducted to reveal the characteristics of breeding ecology of oriental scops owl (Otus sunia stictonotus) inhabiting in South Korea according to the nest types during the breeding season from march to October for two years (2011 and 2012). Oriental scops owl nested in woodpecker's nest holes (46.1%), natural tree holes (38.5%), and artificial wood boxes (15.4%). These nests were located on following trees: Zelkova serrata, Paulownia coreana, Celtis sinensis, Salix chaenomeloides, Salix babylonica, Fraxinus rhynchophylla, Robinia pseudoacacia and Platanus occidentalis. The hatching success was 91.4%, fledging success was 83.0%, and breeding success was 75.9%. The factors of the breeding failure were falling (57.1%), abandonment (28.6%), hatching failure (7.1%), and others with unknown cause of death (7.1%). According to nest types, the fledging success (69.2%) of woodpecker's nest holes were low and the hatching success (79.2%) of natural tree holes were also low due to hatching failure and abandonment. However, hatching success, fledging success, breeding success were high in the artificial nests as all the eggs hatched and succeeded in fledging. Therefore, we suggested that artificial nests can cover the weaknesses of natural nests as well as increasing the breeding success. However, long-term research on installation place, height, and hole sizes of the artificial nest are required in order to clearly reveal the effects on the breeding success of oriental scops owl.

• 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.