2026/06/24 by Triin Kaasiku, Camilo Carneiro, Amaranta Adojaan +1 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Avian ecology and behavior #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/00063657.2026.2686876
Capsule Artificial nests are often used in ecological studies, but our research on Estonian coastal grasslands shows they differ significantly from natural nests in predation rates and predator identity, highlighting the importance of studying natural nests whenever possible.Aims Artificial nests may serve as an alternative to natural ones in studies of nest predation, but it is crucial to evaluate their suitability within specific local contexts.Methods We conducted a comparative analysis of daily survival rates between artificial and natural nests of waders in coastal grassland habitat in Estonia over two breeding seasons. Additionally, we employed camera traps to identify predators on a subset of nests.Results Our findings reveal discrepancies in nest survival and observed predators between artificial and natural nests, as well as annual differences. These results indicate that, at least in our study area, artificial nests are not an adequate substitute for natural nests when studying nest survival or when identifying nest predators.Conclusions Consistent with previous authors’ conclusions, we encourage ornithologists to invest time and effort in locating and studying natural nests whenever it is feasible to do so.