Nest predation patterns in ground-nesting passerines on the Iberian peninsula

The idea that ground-nesting birds have a high risk of predation is widely accepted. This paper analyzes the nest predation patterns of ground-nesting passerines on the Iberian Peninsula. The nest predation rates are higher in open land species (x) over bar = 71%) than in countryside farmland (10%) or forest birds (29%). The latter species have no differences in daily survival between ground and above-ground nests. The higher nest predation in ground-nesting open land species was similar in peninsular Spain and North America. We conclude that it is incorrect to generalize that all ground nesters have high nest predation rates, and we discuss the possible link of the high nest predation rates of open land birds to the decline observed in their population trends in Spain.