The ecological conditions leading to delayed dispersal and helping behavior are generally thought to follow one of two contrasting scenarios: that conditions are stable and predictable, resulting in young being ecologically forced to remain as helpers (extrinsic constraints and the habitat saturation hypothesis), or that conditions are highly variable and unpredictable, leading to the need for helpers to raise young, at least when conditions are poor (intrinsic constraints and the hard life hypothesis). We investigated how variability in ecological conditions influences the degree to which helpers augment breeder fitness in the cooperatively breeding acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), a species in which the acorn crop, territory quality, and prior breeding experience all vary in ways that have important effects on fitness. We found that the relationship between ecological conditions and the probability that birds would remain as helpers was variable but that helpers generally yielded greater fitness benefits when ecological conditions were favorable, rather than unfavorable, for breeding. These results affirm the importance of extrinsic constraints to delayed dispersal and cooperative breeding in this species, despite its dependence on a highly variable and unpredictable acorn crop. Our findings also confirm that helpers can have very different fitness effects, depending on conditions, but that those effects are not necessarily greater when breeding conditions are unfavorable.

Up to a billion birds die per year in North America as a result of striking windows. Both transparent and reflective glass panes are a cause for concern, misleading birds by either acting as invisible, impenetrable barriers to desired resources, or reflecting those resources over a large surface area. A high number of window strikes occur during migration, but little is known about the factors of susceptibility, or whether particular avian taxa are more vulnerable than others. We report on a study of window strikes and mist-netting data at the Virginia Zoological Park (Norfolk, Virginia, USA), conducted in the autumn of 2013 and 2014. We focused on three factors likely to contribute to an individual’s predisposition to collide with windows: (i) taxonomic classification, (ii) age, and (iii) migrant vs. resident status. Thrushes, dominated by the partial migrant American Robin (Turdus migratorius), were significantly less likely to strike glass than be sampled in mist nets (χ²= 9.21, p = 0.002), while wood-warblers (Parulidae) were more likely to strike than expected (χ²= 13.55, p < 0.001). The proportion of juveniles striking windows (45.4%) was not significantly different (χ²= 0.05, p = 0.827) than the population of juvenile birds naturally occurring at the zoo (48.8%). Migrants, however, were significantly more susceptible to window strikes than residents (χ²= 6.35, p = 0.012). Our results suggest that resident birds are able to learn to avoid and thus reduce their likelihood of striking windows; this intrinsic risk factor may help explain the apparent susceptibility of certain taxa to window strikes.