Ecological factors affecting foraging behaviour during nestling rearing in a high-elevation species, the White-winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis)

Abstract

During breeding, parents of avian species must increase their foraging efforts to collect food for their offspring, besides themselves. Foraging trips are thus a key aspect of the foraging ecology of central-place foragers when rearing their offspring. However, studies of the foraging ecology of high-elevation specialists inhabiting harsh environments are scarce. Here we report for the first time quantitative information on ecological determinants of foraging trips in the White-winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis), a high-elevation specialist threatened by climate warming. We focused on seasonal, meteorological, habitat and social factors affecting distance and duration of foraging trips performed during nestling rearing, recorded by visual observations in the Italian Alps. Based on 309 foraging trips from 35 pairs, we found that trips lasted 6.12 min and foraging areas were located at 175 m from the nest site on average.