Who chooses the nest? An experimental test of nest cover selection

Abstract Nesting site selection has key fitness consequences for both parents and their offspring. Despite previous investigations of the factors influencing the nesting decisions of varied taxa, the relative roles of the sexes in nesting decisions in species with biparental care remain unclear. We investigated nest cover selection in a biparental shorebird (Kentish Plover Anarhynchus alexandrinus ) characterised by variation in nesting strategies, including nests laid under vegetation (covered nests) and unconcealed nests laid in the open (open nests). We firstly described seasonality in natural variation in nest cover selection. Secondly, we investigated whether males or females are consistent in their nest cover choice after an experimental removal of their partner and clutch. We show that Kentish Plover predominantly choose open versus covered nests, but that this pattern is accentuated later in the season due to a seasonal decline in covered nests. Our experiment revealed no difference in the tendency to select covered versus open nests after partner removal in either sex, indicating no directional change in nest cover choice following a simulated predation event. Moreover, male and female consistency in nest cover choice decisions over successive nesting attempts was low and did not differ between the sexes. Our findings indicate that the nest cover choice of individual males and females following a predation event are highly dynamic and that neither sex enforces consistent nest cover preferences. Our work suggests renesting decisions may be highly context dependent and emphasises the need for further experimental studies to understand the mechanisms and trade-offs underlying parental decisions.