Nesting Characteristics of Yellow-bellied Prinia, Prinia flaviventris

Nesting has important effects upon birds’ growth and breeding. We studied nesting characteristics of Yellow-bellied Prinia by marking and measuring nests of study sites at Jiangxi village, Guangdong from March to September in 2007. For each active nest-site, we made a 5 m×5 m sampling plot with the center of each nest to sample habitat index, and then analyze nest-site selection using Principal-component analysis. The results showed that: 1) Yellow-bellied Prinia started nesting in the middle of March, reached its peak in April, and was completed by late July. 2) A total of 44 nests were found in 13 species of plants; 27 nests were built in Pennisetum purpureum, 4 in Erigeron canadensis and 1 or 2 in other species. 3) All nests were irregularly sphere-shaped, included artifactitious materials besides vegetation and creatural Materials. 4) Four factors were found to affect birds selecting their nest-sites: distance from the nearest water sources (29.89%), distance from the nearest road (16.45%), distance from the nearest bush (12.92%), and height above water surface (11.69%). Hence, we concluded that the pattern of nest building of Yellow-bellied Prinia was a way to adapt to their environment, and shorter tails could not only increase flexibility, but also reduce nesting investment.