Egg Size Variation in Blue TitsCyanistes caeruleusand Great TitsParus majorin Relation to Habitat Differences in Snail Abundance

Wild passerines, especially tits, utilize snail shells as the main source of calcium necessary for laying females to construct egg shells. This research found that the two study areas, representing two habitat types — a mature decid- uous forest and a human-disturbed parkland — are inhabited by different snail assemblages: both species richness and density are much higher in the parkland than in the forest. This means that less calcium is available to female tits in the forest than in the parkland, which could result in calcium limitation in the former habitat. Egg size traits, i.e. volume, length and breadth, in the Blue Tit show a consistent long-term pattern of variation that reflects the pattern of calcium availability: egg trait values are higher in the parkland than in the woodland. No habitat-related variation in egg size traits was found in the Great Tits. We suggest that the lack of a relation between Great Tit egg characteristics and snail availability results from the higher ecological plasticity of this species in comparison with the Blue Tit, including its abil- ity to exploit alternative sources of calcium.