Habitat availability,social attraction and nest distribution patterns in longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis peltastes)

Synopsis Two forces, limited availability of preferred habitat and social attraction between conspecifics were hypothesized to explain nest aggregation in male longear sunfish. In the laboratory, males cluster their nests within a small segment of a much larger uniform area of nesting habitat. In the field, large areas of unused habitat suitable for nesting were found, suggesting that nesting aggregations are not formed as a result of limited preferred habitat. Males appear to be socially attracted during breeding, and social nesting presumably is a successful reproductive strategy for at least a portion of the population.     

Reproductive success of Tree Pipits Anthus trivialis in relation to habitat selection in conifer plantations

Aspects of the reproductive success of Tree Pipits Anthus trivialis were examined in relation to broad‐scale habitat and nest‐site selection in Thetford Forest, a coniferous plantation forest in eastern England. Three habitat classes were defined corresponding to previously reported densities of Tree Pipits: clearfell and recently planted stands (habitat class A: low density), stands 2–5 years old (B: high density) and stands 6 years or older (C: low density). The preference for 2–5‐year‐old stands indicated by higher densities was supported by the timing of territory settlement. Tree Pipits also showed distinct preferences for nest‐site characteristics that were relatively consistent across habitat classes and throughout the breeding season. At the ‘habitat scale’, results were consistent with the predictions of the ideal despotic distribution model. First clutches were laid significantly earlier in the preferred habitat class B. Overall nesting success (i.e. the proportion of nests producing fledglings), but not clutch size, also varied between habitats, being greater in habitat classes B and C than in habitat class A. The variation in overall nesting success between habitats was primarily driven by low nest survival rates during the laying/incubation period in clearfell and recently planted stands. Nest survival rates during the nestling period were lower in the preferred 2–5‐year‐old (and older) stands and declined over the course of the study. Preferences for nest‐site characteristics (at least for those that were measured) provided no apparent benefit to nest survival rates. Overall nesting success thus appeared to be determined at the habitat scale, perhaps because the broad differences in cover between habitats affected the likelihood of nest predation (the main cause of nest failure). It is suggested that the very low nesting success experienced by Tree Pipits in clearfell and new stands may be one factor in the species’ relative avoidance of this habitat and preference for 2–5‐year‐old stands.     

Habitat selection responses of parents to offspring predation risk: an experimental test

The ability of nest predation to influence habitat settlement decisions in birds is widely debated, despite its importance in limiting fitness. Here, we experimentally manipulated nest predation risk across a landscape and asked the question, do migratory birds assess and respond to variation in nest predation risk when choosing breeding habitats? We examined habitat preference by quantifying the density and settlement date of eight species of migratory passerines breeding in areas with and without intact nest predator communities. We found consistently more individuals nesting in areas with reduced nest predation than in areas with intact predator assemblages, although predation risk had no influence on settlement or breeding phenology. Additionally, those individuals occupying safer nesting habitats exhibited increased singing activity. These findings support a causal relationship between habitat choice and nest predation risk and suggest the importance of nest predation risk in shaping avian community structure and breeding activity.     

Implications of nest-site limitation on density-dependent nest predation at variable spatial scales in a cavity-nesting bird

Nest‐site limitation may have different implications in the spatial distribution of breeding pairs depending on the availability of suitable habitat and the types of nest‐sites. Distribution of cavities suitable as nest sites may allow circumstantial aggregation or active choice of colonial nesting, which may have different implications on breeding performance through effects on breeding density, with variable costs and benefits depending on the consequences of intraspecific competition, social interactions and predation. We evaluated the effects of breeding density derived from nesting site limitation on breeding performance and predation at different spatial scales and considering multiple social, population and environmental limiting factors in the red‐billed chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax. The results indicate that variable breeding density may arise within the population depending on the availability and spatial distribution of nest‐sites. Nest‐site availability and distribution may also determine social breeding systems (isolated or aggregated) at variable densities, thus resembling differences found at different spatially distant populations under contrasting environmental conditions. Breeding performance was related to density‐dependent processes of population regulation, especially density‐dependent nest predation due to predator attraction to nest clusters. Results also indicate that predation pressure depend on density patterns at large scales. This suggest that predation may have important consequences on population dynamics of spatially structured populations depending on the strength of this kind of density dependence, which in turn may depend on habitat features affecting the prey but also the spatially variable guild of predators. Because habitat and nesting site availability may vary spatially depending on multiple human influences, understanding the strength and form in which breeding density and nest predation at different spatial scales may influence the size and persistence of populations can help to manage them more adequately.     

Traditional versus non-traditional nest-site choice: alternative decision strategies for nest-site selection

In order to understand habitat selection, it is important to consider the way individual animals assess the suitability of a future reproductive site. One way of investigating mechanisms (such as those involved in nest site selection) is to examine breeding success and habitat characteristics in terms of animals returning to a place where they have already reproduced and using the same location over successive years or searching for new alternatives. This approach seems especially suitable for testing recent hypotheses suggesting that nest site selection is an integrative process that includes the use of social information (e.g. past breeding success of conspecifics). Determining the factors that elicit conservative or innovative behaviour regarding nest-site selection could be important for improving our understanding of habitat selection decisions in animals. More than half of the nests of the long-distance migratory lesser grey shrike Lanius minor, are built in the same or neighbouring trees. We found no evidence that habitat characteristics influence nest-site tradition. On the contrary, social information in terms of the presence of conspecifics and past reproductive success in terms of complete nest failures due to nest predation (but not detailed information such as variation in fledgling number) influenced nest-site tradition. Hence, social information and past reproductive success may play a role in nest-site choice in this species. Our results further demonstrate that previous experience with a nest site does not appear to be beneficial.     

Mechanisms of colony selection by first‐year Lesser Kestrels Falco naumanni

In colonial species, first‐time breeders may use the number of settled conspecifics in colony selection, but such a relationship is confused by the correlation between colony size and nest‐site availability. To distinguish conspecific attraction from neutral colony selection, we experimentally increased nest availability for first‐year Lesser Kestrels Falco naumanni, allowing us to dissociate the number of vacant nest‐sites from colony size at the arrival time of first‐year birds. Under natural conditions, the number of first‐year birds settling was positively correlated with both the number of philopatric and the total number of breeding pairs (colony size) already settled. However, the probability of occupation of experimentally manipulated nests by first‐year birds was independent of colony size. In experimental colonies, the number of first‐year birds settling was positively correlated with the number of manipulated nest‐sites but not with the number of conspecifics. Overall, these results support a neutral colony selection by first‐year Lesser Kestrels based on nest‐site availability.     

Gathering public information for habitat selection: prospecting birds cue on parental activity

Because habitat quality strongly affects individual fitness, understanding individual habitat selection strategies is fundamental for most aspects of the evolution and conservation of species. Several studies suggest that individuals gather public information, i.e. information derived from the reproductive performance of conspecifics, to assess and select habitats. However, the behavioural mechanisms of information gathering, i.e. prospecting, are largely unknown, despite the fact that they directly constrain individual selection strategies. To test whether prospectors gather public information or other cues of habitat quality, we manipulated brood size of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) and investigated subsequent attraction of prospectors. Experimentally adding two nestlings increased the probability of attracting prospectors to the nest as a result of increased parental feeding rates. Prospectors were attracted to the most successful sites because feeding rate predicted subsequent fledgling production. In the year following prospecting, individuals selected a breeding site very close to the prospected site. These results provide the first experimental evidence, to our knowledge, of the links between information gathering behaviour and breeding habitat selection strategies based on public information.     

Conditional female strategies influence hatching success in a communally nesting iguana

The decision of females to nest communally has important consequences for reproductive success. While often associated with reduced energetic expenditure, conspecific aggregations also expose females and offspring to conspecific aggression, exploitation, and infanticide. Intrasexual competition pressures are expected to favor the evolution of conditional strategies, which could be based on simple decision rules (i.e., availability of nesting sites and synchronicity with conspecifics) or on a focal individual's condition or status (i.e., body size). Oviparous reptiles that reproduce seasonally and provide limited to no postnatal care provide ideal systems for disentangling social factors that influence different female reproductive tactics from those present in offspring‐rearing environments. In this study, we investigated whether nesting strategies in a West Indian rock iguana, Cyclura nubila caymanensis, vary conditionally with reproductive timing or body size, and evaluated consequences for nesting success. Nesting surveys were conducted on Little Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies for four consecutive years. Use of high‐density nesting sites was increasingly favored up to seasonal nesting activity peaks, after which nesting was generally restricted to low‐density nesting areas. Although larger females were not more likely than smaller females to nest in high‐density areas, larger females nested earlier and gained access to priority oviposition sites. Smaller females constructed nests later in the season, apparently foregoing investment in extended nest defense. Late‐season nests were also constructed at shallower depths and exhibited shorter incubation periods. While nest depth and incubation length had significant effects on reproductive outcomes, so did local nest densities. Higher densities were associated with significant declines in hatching success, with up to 20% of egg‐filled nests experiencing later intrusion by a conspecific. Despite these risks, nests in high‐density areas were significantly more successful than elsewhere due to the benefits of greater chamber depths and longer incubation times. These results imply that communal nest sites convey honest signals of habitat quality, but that gaining and defending priority oviposition sites requires competitive ability.     

Wood warblers copy settlement decisions of poor quality conspecifics: support for the tradeoff between the benefit of social information use and competition avoidance

Social information use in songbird habitat selection commonly involves a conspecific attraction strategy. Individuals copy the breeding‐site choices of conspecifics, that is, bias their own settlement decisions towards sites (tracts of spatially limited habitat with similar structure) already occupied by others. In order to be adaptive, social information use has to be discriminative. Especially the decisions of good quality individuals, i.e. measuring high at observable fitness correlates, should be copied more frequently than those of poor quality individuals. It is unknown, however, whether songbirds discriminatively use conspecific presence by evaluating the quality of information providers in habitat selection. We experimentally tested whether wood warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix selectively copied settlement decisions of conspecifics in relation to the quality of observed individuals. We also tested whether the use of social cues was influenced by the population density at a particular site in the preceding year. We found that wood warblers selectively used intraspecific social information, but in a pattern opposite to that expected based on existing hypotheses. Wood warblers copied breeding‐site choices of poor quality conspecifics and despite temporary attraction to sites where the presence of good quality individuals was simulated, they did not ultimately settle near these individuals. Population density in the preceding year did not influence settlement patterns. We argue that when making settlement decisions, wood warblers assessed the expected level of local intraspecific competition and selectively copied breeding‐site choices of conspecifics or refused to settle, depending on competitive abilities of observed individuals. This adds a novel aspect to the patterns and processes of social information use proposed thus far, and provides support for the predicted negative effect of intraspecific competition on benefit of information. Moreover, it seems that habitat selection in wood warblers is a complex decision‐making process, in which initial decisions are adjusted after acquiring more accurate information. Synthesis Social information use in songbird habitat selection commonly involves copying the breeding‐site choices of conspecifics (so‐called conspecific attraction). To be adaptive, this strategy has to be discriminative, but almost no empirical studies have tested this assertion. Our study shows that birds may selectively use social information by copying settlement decisions of poor quality conspecifics, but avoid settling near good quality individuals, likely because of their high competitive abilities. This decision‐making pattern supports the predicted, yet not experimentally tested, tradeoff between information value and cost of competition in social information use. Our study highlights also that the use of social cues in settlement decisions may be both positively and negatively biased.     

Nest reuse in arctic‐breeding shorebirds: an analysis of potential benefits and factors affecting the occurrence of this rare behavior

During a 13‐yr study near Utqia?vik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, we documented the prevalence of nest reuse in eight arctic‐breeding shorebirds. We evaluated whether nest reuse saved individuals time and energy, enhanced nest survival, or was related to nest density. We documented 208 (6.2%) cases of nest reuse among 3336 nesting attempts. Nest reuse occurred in all years but the first and in all species, with greatest reuse in semipalmated sandpiper (10.9%) and American golden‐plover (10.0%). While most cases of nest reuse occurred with conspecifics, many cases of heterospecific nest reuse were also observed, indicating high niche overlap in nest site preferences among species. We found that individuals reusing old nests may have benefited by nesting earlier, but nest reuse did not generally enhance nest survival. A significant positive relationship was also found between nest reuse and nest density at the community level and for four of the eight species, suggesting high inter‐ or intraspecific competition combined with limited suitable nest sites may force individuals to reuse old nests. Our observations also suggest that upland nesting species may be the most dependent on old nest sites. Preferential development of these sites may therefore have a previously unknown detrimental effect on these species, although further study is needed to better determine the impact of such habitat loss.     

Density‐dependent effects on reproductive performance in a recovering population of White‐tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla

Understanding the mechanisms that shape density‐dependent processes and population dynamics is often essential for species conservation. Two key mechanisms of density‐dependent reductions in reproductive performance are a limited access to foraging habitats (the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis) and territorial aggression towards conspecifics (the interference competition hypothesis) at high population densities. Disentangling the relative importance of these mechanisms within populations below their carrying capacity is important for the evaluation of the success of conservation measures. However, relatively few studies have attempted to quantify the relative importance of both mechanisms for the reproductive performance of a population. Many raptor populations are ideal model systems to investigate density‐dependent effects because they are currently recovering from human‐induced reductions during the last decades. Using a 14‐year dataset, we combined analyses of individual reproductive performance with a mechanistic population model to investigate early signs of density‐dependent regulation in a population of White‐tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla in north‐east Germany. We found a negative effect of the number of neighbouring breeding pairs and a positive effect of water surface area (as a proxy for the availability of favourable foraging habitat) on breeding success and on the average number of nestlings. The mean nearest neighbour distance between breeding pairs has decreased, and the mean distance of nests to the nearest water body has increased over the last 14 years. Moreover, the population model indicates that even though the population is still growing, carrying capacity could be reached at about 500–950 territorial pairs. These results suggest that the selection of nesting sites is determined by a trade‐off between the distance to favourable foraging habitat and the distance to neighbouring breeding pairs. To avoid increasing competition with conspecifics, due to continued population growth, breeding pairs seem to select increasingly suboptimal habitats. Therefore, our results suggest that the habitat heterogeneity and interference competition hypotheses are not necessarily mutually exclusive as mechanisms of density‐dependent population regulation, but can determine the reproductive performance of a raptor population simultaneously. Thus, a future decline in breeding success does not necessarily reflect a decrease in habitat quality but may rather be a consequence of density‐dependent mechanisms. This information may be useful for the interpretation of population trends and for the development of appropriate management strategies for recovering raptor populations.     

Spatial Nest‐Settlement Decisions in Digger Wasps: Conspecifics Matter more than Heterospecifics and Previous Experience

Research into the driving forces behind spatial arrangement of wasp nests has considered abiotic environmental factors, but seldom investigated attraction or repulsion towards conspecifics or heterospecifics. Solitary female digger wasps (Hymenoptera) often nest in dense aggregations, making these insects good models to study this topic. Here, we analysed the nesting patterns in an area shared by three species of the genus Bembix, in a novel study to discover whether female wasps are attracted to or repulsed by conspecific nests, heterospecific nests or their own previously established nests when choosing nest‐digging locations. Early in the season, each species showed a clumping pattern of nests, but later in the season, a random distribution of nests was more common, suggesting an early conspecific attraction. Such behaviour was confirmed by the fact that females started building their nests more frequently where other females of their species were simultaneously digging. The distances between subsequent nests dug by individual females were shorter than those obtained by random simulations. However, this pattern seemed to depend on the tendency to dig close to conspecifics rather than remain in the vicinity of previous nests, suggesting that females' experience matters to future decisions only on a large scale. Nesting patches within nest aggregations largely overlapped between species, but the nests of each species were generally not closer to heterospecific nests than expected by chance, suggesting that females are neither repulsed by, nor attracted to, congenerics within nest aggregations. A role of the spatial distribution of natural enemies on the observed nesting patterns seemed unlikely. Bembix digger wasp nest aggregations seem thus to be primarily the result of female–female attraction during nest‐settlement decisions, in accordance with the ‘copying’ mechanisms suggested for nesting vertebrates.     

Group composition and reproductive success of cooperatively breeding white‐winged choughs (Corcorax melanorhamphos) in urban and non‐urban habitat

Abstract: White‐winged choughs (Corcorax melanorhamphos, Corcoracidae) are a common, breeding resident in and around the city of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory. We compared five measures of reproductive success between the urban and non‐urban populations of choughs to investigate the effect of urbanization on this cooperatively breeding species. Urban choughs initiated breeding earlier than their non‐urban counterparts and were more likely to suffer nest failures. However, there was no difference in the number of successful nests in a season or the number of fledglings produced per successful nesting attempt. A greater proportion of fledglings survived their first 12 months in the non‐urban habitat. We suggest that increased rates of nest predation and fledgling mortality in the urban environment may have a negative effect on reproductive success and remove any advantage that might be gained through a longer breeding season. Possible effects of urbanization on the social and genetic structure of white‐winged choughs are also discussed.     

The importance of social information in breeding site selection increases with population size in the Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus

Animals can select breeding sites using non‐social information (habitat characteristics) and social information (conspecific presence or abundance). The availability of both types of information is expected to vary over time during the colonization of a new area, conditioning their use by colonizers. However, if and how both types of information are exploited during the colonization process remains unclear. We hypothesized that non‐social information should be predominant at the beginning of a colonization episode (when conspecific presence is low) and that social information should gain in importance as the colonization progresses. We tested this hypothesis by studying habitat selection by the Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus, a long‐lived colonial raptor, during a natural colonization process spanning 40 years. In NW Spain, the population showed a sharp increase from 15 breeding pairs in three colonies in the 1970s to 586 breeding pairs in 120 colonies in 2008, expanding its range from 90 km² in the 1970s to 6403 km² in 2008, with directions of expansion following areas rich in nesting cliffs. The main determinants of habitat selection varied over time. Livestock density and the characteristics of nesting cliffs were the main predictors of settlement at the onset of colonization. Breeding density of conspecifics increased its importance over time, having the greatest relative weight in habitat selection later in the colonization process. Our results indicated a prevalent use of non‐social information during the early stages of the colonization and an increasing role of social information as the expansion progressed.     

Evaluating Habitat Quality for the Dusky Flycatcher

Abstract: We studied the dusky flycatcher (Empidonax oberholseri) at 8 sites in central Idaho, USA, in 2002 and 2003 to examine relationships among vegetation cover, density of breeding conspecifics, and indicators of habitat quality. Number of breeding territories and number of fledglings per hectare were positively associated, suggesting that the dusky flycatcher experienced increased reproductive success where it bred at the highest densities. However, the relationships between nesting success, annual reproductive success, number of fledglings per hectare, and amount of understory cover showed substantial annual variation. Nesting success did not differ significantly across sites or between years. Both reproductive success, expressed as young produced per hectare (range: 0.34–3.09 in 2002 and 0.79–3.82 in 2003) and young produced per nesting attempt (range: 0.71–2.78 in 2002 and 1.11–3.10 in 2003), differed across study sites in each year. Mean clutch size did not differ significantly among sites or years. Mean egg weight showed significant variation across some sites within years and was associated negatively with the 3 measures of reproductive success in 2002, although small sample sizes prevented reliable inference about the appropriateness of this measure as an indicator of habitat quality. Mean clutch size and mean egg weight were not associated with vegetation cover variables. Thus, dusky flycatcher reproductive success showed inconsistencies with individual vegetation measurements at the site scale. Forest managers who use vegetation treatments to increase amounts of understory shrub cover (e.g., by removing portions of the overstory conifer canopy) should increase densities of this species and, in turn, increase number of fledglings produced, but these responses appear to be better measured at the territory or nest scales than at the stand or site scales.     

Resource partitioning in sympatric arctic-breeding geese: summer habitat use, spatial and dietary overlap of Barnacle and Pink-footed Geese in Svalbard

The spatial, habitat and dietary overlap of two breeding goose species was studied in Sassendalen, Svalbard, in summer 2003 based on abundance within 500 × 500‐m grid squares and faecal diet analyses during pre‐breeding, nesting and post‐hatching periods. More than half of all Pink‐footed Geese Anser brachyrhynchus occurred in the absence of Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis during nesting and post‐hatching periods compared to c. 20% when concentrated by pre‐breeding snow cover. In contrast, only 5% of Barnacle Geese were observed in the absence of Pink‐footed Geese pre‐breeding, 15% during nesting, and 35% post‐hatching. Among six defined habitat types, Barnacle Geese resorted more to ‘upland’ habitats during pre‐breeding and nesting and to lowland lakes post‐hatching when compared to Pink‐footed Geese. Although Pink‐footed Geese showed less change in seasonal habitat preference, many shifted to the river valley bottom post‐hatching, giving access to open water (predator avoidance) and lush green vegetation (foraging for goslings). The smallest extent of distributional overlap between the two species occurred post‐hatching, but each species was also highly restricted by snow cover during pre‐nesting. The greatest extent of overlap in distribution and diet occurred during incubation, when large dietary variation between different breeding valleys reflected local food availability around nests (probably a result of nest‐site preference rather than food selection per se). Whether this means that increased interactions within and between the two goose species with future increases in local density are most likely to be manifest at this stage of the summer is impossible to determine without knowledge of available food resources and manipulative experiments. More detailed investigations of the effects of foraging by both species on plant structure, quality and community composition are necessary to predict likely outcomes of future changes in population densities of both species.     

A description of nesting behaviors,including factors impacting nest site selection,in black‐and‐white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata)

Nest site selection is at once fundamental to reproduction and a poorly understood component of many organisms’ reproductive investment. This study investigates the nesting behaviors of black‐and‐white ruffed lemurs, Varecia variegata, a litter‐bearing primate from the southeastern rainforests of Madagascar. Using a combination of behavioral, geospatial, and demographic data, I test the hypotheses that environmental and social cues influence nest site selection and that these decisions ultimately impact maternal reproductive success. Gestating females built multiple large nests throughout their territories. Of these, females used only a fraction of the originally constructed nests, as well as several parking locations as infants aged. Nest construction was best predicted by environmental cues, including the size of the nesting tree and density of feeding trees within a 75 m radius of the nest, whereas nest use depended largely on the size and average distance to feeding trees within that same area. Microhabitat characteristics were unrelated to whether females built or used nests. Although unrelated to nest site selection, social cues, specifically the average distance to conspecifics’ nest and park sites, were related to maternal reproductive success; mothers whose litters were parked in closer proximity to others’ nests experienced higher infant survival than those whose nests were more isolated. This is likely because nesting proximity facilitated communal crèche use by neighboring females. Together, these results suggest a complex pattern of nesting behaviors that involves females strategically building nests in areas with high potential resource abundance, using nests in areas according to their realized productivity, and communally rearing infants within a network of nests distributed throughout the larger communal territory.     

When to use public information for breeding habitat selection? The role of environmental predictability and density dependence

To select their future breeding site, individuals usually have to assess local quality by using environmental cues. One optimal cue may be ‘public information’, the local reproductive success of conspecifics in a breeding patch (patch reproductive success) because it integrates the effect of all environmental factors on breeding success. However, the quality of information conveyed by patch reproductive success is likely to depend on (1) environmental predictability and (2) interactions between individuals. We investigated how these two factors, ignored by previous models, affect the performance of individuals using patch reproductive success for breeding habitat selection compared with other information. We built a two-patch, game-theoretical model to compare the success of a strategy of breeding habitat selection based on patch reproductive success relative to four other strategies: (1) random patch choice; (2) philopatry; (3) choice based on the presence of conspecifics the previous year (conspecific attraction); and (4) choice based on intrinsic patch quality the previous year. The results illustrate how the efficiency of strategies in tracking variations in patch quality depend on environmental predictability and costs linked to density dependence, themselves linked to the dynamics of spatial aggregation of individuals. In particular, strategies based on measures of patch reproductive success perform the best for intermediate and high temporal predictability of patch quality, whereas philopatry and conspecific attraction then perform poorly. The ‘conspecific attraction’ strategy always coexists with other strategies by efficiently parasitizing the information they use. We discuss the implications of a better understanding of breeding habitat selection behaviours for evolutionary and conservation biology. Copyright 2003 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.      

Avian fitness consequences match habitat selection at the nest‐site and landscape scale in agriculturally fragmented landscapes

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Sprague's pipit breeding biology and reproductive success in planted and native grasslands

Much of the native grasslands in agricultural regions have been converted to cropland or tilled and seeded with non‐native grasses for livestock production. Several grassland songbird species occupy planted grasslands, but occupancy or density may not be a reliable indicator of habitat quality. I studied the breeding biology of Sprague's pipit Anthus spragueii from 2004 to 2008 in Saskatchewan, Canada. My objective was to determine the extent to which the breeding biology, density and reproductive success of pipits varied in planted and native grasslands. Peak clutch initiation occurred in mid‐ to late‐May in planted and native grassland. Peak pipit density also occurred in May, but density drastically declined over the breeding season in planted grassland. Clutch size varied among years and declined over the breeding season, but was similar in planted (4.7  0.1 SE) and native grasslands (4.5  0.1 SE). Daily nest survival rates varied with age of the nest and date, but the relationships differed in the two habitats and was likely a result of lower nestling survival in planted grassland compared to native grassland. The number of young fledged per nest increased as the season progressed and tended to be greater in native (1.2  0.1 SE) than planted (0.9  0.2 SE) grasslands. Seasonal productivity was much greater in native grassland. Only three nests were initiated after May in planted grassland and all were unsuccessful, whereas pipit young fledged at higher rates from nests initiated in native grassland in June and July than planted grassland nests initiated in May. The number of fledged young from successful nests did not vary strongly with habitat, date or year. This research indicates that planted grasslands attract pipits at the beginning of the breeding season, but habitat suitability and reproductive success substantially declines as the breeding season progresses compared to that found in native grassland.