01327nas a2200145   4500008004100000245003000041210003000071300001300101490000800114520094700122100001701069700001701086700001701103856006101120       1999                        eng d00aBrown Thrasher Nest Reuse0 aBrown Thrasher Nest Reuse  a859 -8620 v1013 aWe examined the potential functions of old nests in a population of Brown Thrashers (Toxostoma rufum) nesting on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in northeastern Kansas. We determined whether thrashers reuse nests constructed in previous years, and tested predictions of the hypothesis that old nests function to reduce the risk of nest predation by saturating the cues used by search-strategy predators. We also manipulated old-nest densities to test the hypothesis that old nests are used as indirect cues for nest-site selection. Thrashers were found to reuse nests, albeit at low rates (4% of nests monitored). We found no significant relationships between the density of old nests and the success of active nests, and experimentally removing nests did not influence nest-site selection. These results suggest that old nests may only benefit thrashers in this population as a resource to reduce the time spent in nest construction.1 aCavitt, J.F.1 aPearse, A.T.1 aMiller, T.A.  uhttp://knz.lternet.edu/content/brown-thrasher-nest-reuse