Survival of Eggs in the Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar. I. Predation by Birds

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Abstract
(1) Bird predation on overwintering egg masses of the gypsy moth was estimated in a deciduous forest during nine winters in Hokkaido, Japan. (2) Birds, mainly nuthatches (Sitta europaea), attacked the egg masses particularly during the snowy season, February and early March. Snowfalls increased predation frequency. (3) The geometric mean predation rate was 38.8% over the period. Predation fluctuated temporally, involving between 4% and 71% of all egg masses. (4) A density-dependent trend was apparently observed during the later five winters, but the trend was ambiguous in spatial density in each of five winters. (5) During the snowy season, birds shifted their foraging sites downward, and primarily attached egg masses on the lower parrt of tree trunks above the snow.

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