EFFECTS OF MALE REMOVAL ON FEMALE FORAGING BEHAVIOR IN THE EURASIAN TREECREEPER

In old, spruce-dominated forests of central Finland, Eurasian treecree pers Certhia familiaris divide their territories spatially during the breeding season. Females forage primarily on the upper parts of the tr ee trunks, while males use the lower parts of the tree trunks. In this study we removed males from eight territories in the early nestling p eriod to see if the mate's absence would change the foraging patterns of the resident female. Widowed females foraged at lower heights, thus behaving more like paired males. These females also spent less time o n each tt ee and on each foraging bout than did paired females. We con clude that male removal facilitated the change in a female's foraging niche and foraging time at the trees. Females may reoptimize their for aging site selection owing to the absence of dominant males and a cons equent need to increase their parental care. Behavioral plasticity may be the mechanism of niche partitioning between the sexes in this spec ies.