ArticleRoyal Society open science2025
The Neophobia Hypothesis: nest decoration in birds may reduce predation by corvids.
Article in Royal Society open science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Tracing Human Footprint in Bird Nests: Plastic Occurrence and Drivers in the Long-Legged Buzzard (Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- A Comparison of Nest Structure and Materials in Three Species of Penduline Tits (Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Ecological Trap in the Nest: Human Hair Causes the Death of Breeding Barn Swallows (Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Birds Decorating Their Nests With Plastic May Suffer Less Egg Depredation by Corvids.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- The Neophobia Hypothesis: nest decoration in birds may reduce predation by corvids.Royal Society open science · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Many birds suffer heavily from nest predation, selecting several behaviours to avoid the risk. Corvids are among the most serious nest predators. However, they are also among the most neophobic of any birds. We suggest that nesting birds may take advantage of this fear by decorating the nest with anthropogenic materials that are novel to the predators (termed the Neophobia Hypothesis). They may also add large, conspicuous feathers that may indicate a site where a bird has recently been killed. In a study in the field, we found that territorial Eurasian magpies
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