Nesting data from 42 Arabian Babbler (Argya squamiceps) nests

Human villages in deserts can provide resources in an otherwise stark
environment, potentially buffering against extreme environmental
conditions. It is thus expected that breeding within these villages would
result in higher fitness. However, choosing to raise offspring in these
resource-rich environments may have unintended negative consequences.
Here, we studied the breeding success of a cooperative breeding bird
nesting in habitats with different levels of human disturbance – the
Arabian babbler (Argya squamiceps), in the Negev desert of Israel. We
recorded 42 breeding attempts from 15 groups between March and July, 2022.
We examined overall breeding success, brood size, and causes of nest
failure. When nestlings were 6-days old we also calculated daily change in
body mass and adult provisioning rate. We found that despite higher
resource abundance in villages, proximity to villages did not affect
provisioning rate, and nestling gained less mass at higher temperatures
for all nests. Currently, there is no evidence that human villages are
providing oases for nesting babblers. Nevertheless, various conservation
interventions (e.g. encouraging residents to keep cats indoors) could
improve babblers' overall fitness. Ultimately, we highlight how for
some desert specialists, additional resources provided by humans may not
do enough to counter potential negative effects.