ABSTRACT
Urban and rural habitats provide different conditions to wintering birds mainly due to different access to bird feeders. Returning to the food sources, even under the stress related to trapping, could play an important role in the energetic budget of wintering birds. We studied the duration of period between the first and the second capture of the Great Tits (Parus major) caught and ringed at bird feeders. We expected that recapturing of birds, which could be connected with their experience, would depend on their sex, age and on the size of human settlements (urban vs. rural areas), which could modify the behavior of wintering birds. We found that the length of the period was the shortest for immature females and the longest for adult males (the difference being 3.8 days in average). In contrast to more experienced adults, more frequent visits in case of immature tits, which increased probability of being trapped, could be affected by their weaker condition and smaller size, which resulted in feeding whenever it was possible. At the same time we did not find any differences between urban (duration of 29.5 days in average) and rural (28.5 days) areas. Differentiation in bird densities, access to feeders and various environmental factors seems to be the reason why this issue awaits further, more detailed studies including influence of weather on the behavior of birds.
