Data from: Previous reproductive success informs nest-building decisions

Behavioral outcomes, including foraging efficiency and reproductive
success, often improve with age and with repeated breeding attempts. Here
we examined the role of previous experience on the nest-building behavior
of wild blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus. In particular, we focused
on how previous success or failure in rearing nestlings shapes
nest-building decisions in subsequent years. We found that previous
breeding outcome is important for predicting nest building
decisions in blue tits: birds that had previously raised fledglings added
insulating material at a similar rate as they had when they built their
first nest. Some birds that had been previously unsuccessful changed their
rate of adding insulating material and then were more likely to produce
fledglings. These responses indicate that at least some of the decisions
made by wild nest-building birds are based on their own experience of past
breeding seasons.