Breeding ecology of the Oriental Magpie-Robin ( Copsychus saularis ) in a peri-urban landscape of Islamabad, Pakistan

The availability and suitability of natural and artificial nest cavities can shape reproductive output of secondary cavity-nesting birds in cities. We investigated nest-site use, breeding output, and Daily Survival Rate (DSR) of Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus saularis) near the northwestern extent of its range at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan, during two breeding seasons (2021–2022). A total of 32 active nests were monitored, with 27 (84%) located in natural tree cavities and 5 (16%) in electricity-meter cabinets (hereafter, electricity boxes). Tree cavities were generally deeper than electricity boxes, but cavity-type comparisons were interpreted descriptively because the number of electricity-box nests was small. Across all active nests, 125 eggs were recorded, of which 108 hatched and 83 resulted in fledglings. Overall apparent nest success was 88%, with 24 of 27 tree-cavity nests and 4 of 5 electricity-box nests producing at least one fledgling. The constant daily survival model was best supported, and overall DSR was high (0.9955, 95% CI: 0.9880–0.9983), corresponding to an estimated 30-day nest-survival probability of 0.873 (95% CI: 0.696–0.950). The DSR analysis provided no clear evidence that daily nest survival differed between cavity types or study years. These findings show that Oriental Magpie-Robins can breed successfully in both natural and artificial cavities in a peri-urban landscape. Where natural cavities are limited, artificial structures such as electricity boxes may provide supplementary breeding opportunities, but they should complement rather than replace the protection of mature cavity-bearing trees.