Abstract
Wildlife perceive humans as predators, and therefore normally flushes. Flight initiation distance (FID) is the distance a human can approach an animal at a steady pace until it flushes. Recently, several studies showed differences in within-species FID according to human presence by comparing urban and rural habitats, with urban birds showing reduced FIDs. However, urban and rural habitats also differ in structure, which might affect FID. Therefore, in order to understand the real effect of human presence, we investigated whether differences in FID are also present in natural habitats (forests), differing only in the intensity of human use for recreation. We found that human frequentation had a distinct effect on bird escape responses, with shorter FIDs in forests more-heavily frequented by humans than in forests rarely visited by humans. Whether this finding is driven by non-random spatial distribution of personalities (shy vs. bold) or phenotypic plasticity (habituation to humans) cannot be assessed with our data. Studies relying on FIDs should also incorporate human recreation intensity, as this affects the measurements strongly.
Highlights
Human disturbance through recreational activities has been found to negatively affect wildlife (Thiel et al, 2007; Kangas et al, 2010; Coppes et al, 2017; Botsch, Tablado & Jenni, 2017)
We found that human frequentation had a distinct effect on bird escape responses, with shorter Flight initiation distance (FID) in forests more-heavily frequented by humans than in forests rarely visited by humans
To obtain a sufficient sample size we focused on a few common species, which were all abundant at all sites: Common Blackbird (Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea), European Robin (Erithacus rubecula), Great Tit (Parus major), Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris), Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla), Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos), and Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Summary
Human disturbance through recreational activities has been found to negatively affect wildlife (Thiel et al, 2007; Kangas et al, 2010; Coppes et al, 2017; Botsch, Tablado & Jenni, 2017). To protect wild animals from the negative effects of recreation, zones with restricted access or buffer zones around breeding areas are a widely recommended mitigation measure (Rodgers & Smith, 1995; Fernandez-Juricic, Jimenez & Lucas, 2001; Blumstein et al, 2003; Ikuta & Blumstein, 2003; Webb & Blumstein, 2005). In order to define these buffer zones an appropriate set-back distance, matching the focal species needs, has to be chosen. FID is the distance at which humans can approach a species before triggering its anti-predatory/escape behavior. FIDs have been used widely for decades and still are considered a good surrogate for set-back distances (Samia et al, 2017)
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