Selection of Night Roosts in Winter by Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in Central Europe

To survive in harsh winter conditions, animals must make behavioural and physiological adaptations. The selection of good habitats may prevent a negative energy budget and reduce predation risk. The capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, the largest of all grouse, feeds in winter on conifer needles, a superabundant but low-energy food resource. We hypothesised that capercaillie should select nocturnal roosting trees that simultaneously provide food, minimise predation risk and reduce energy expenditure. Using paired logistic regression, we studied night roost selection in winter in the Black Forest (Germany), the Swiss Jura, the Swiss Alps and the Thuringia Forest (Germany) by comparing 508 pairs of roosting trees and matched control trees. The most important factors discriminating roosting trees from random trees were tree species and number of forest aisles leading away from the roost tree. Trees with more than one nearby forest aisle for escape by flight were preferred over those with only one aisle or none. Capercaillie strongly selected pine trees Pinus spp for nocturnal roosting, and avoided Norway spruce Picea abies. At sites without pine trees, deciduous trees were preferred. Compared to females, males preferred larger trees in more open forest stands. Our results suggest that the selection of night roosts is determined by predator avoidance, energy-saving strategies aimed at reducing flight activity and feeding possibilities. Microclimate does not seem to influence selection of night roosts.