Black-crested Titmice (Baeolophus atricristatus) initiate nesting earlier in urbanized landscapes but have variable nesting success depending on the level of urbanization

摘要: Urban environments pose novel challenges for songbirds, and the degree of urbanization can influence nesting success. We used a multi-year (2013–2021) quasi-experimental design to understand the relationship between urbanization and various nesting parameters derived from 380 Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus; hereinafter BCTI) nests in nest boxes installed across an urbanization gradient (i.e., rural, and low, moderate, and high levels of urbanization) in San Marcos, Texas, USA. The number of eggs, nestlings, and fledglings per nest were negatively influenced by clutch initiation date but not by level of urbanization or year. First clutch initiation date was correlated with level of urbanization, with nests in areas with any level of urbanization being initiated approximately 12 d earlier than rural nests. First clutch initiation dates for all nests were also affected by weather, with warmer mean …