Abstract
Bird feeding is one of the most widespread direct interactions between man and nature, and this has important social and environmental consequences. However, this activity can differ between rural and urban habitats, due to inter alia habitat structure, human behaviour and the composition of wintering bird communities. We counted birds in 156 squares (0.25 km2 each) in December 2012 and again in January 2013 in locations in and around 26 towns and cities across Poland (in each urban area, we surveyed 3 squares and also 3 squares in nearby rural areas). At each count, we noted the number of bird feeders, the number of bird feeders with food, the type of feeders, additional food supplies potentially available for birds (bread offered by people, bins) and finally the birds themselves. In winter, urban and rural areas differ in the availability of food offered intentionally and unintentionally to birds by humans. Both types of food availability are higher in urban areas. Our findings suggest that different types of bird feeder support only those species specialized for that particular food type and this relationship is similar in urban and rural areas.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-015-4723-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Urbanization is increasing across the globe and it is recognized as a major factor affecting species, populations and assemblages (Turner et al 2004; Grimm et al 2008)
The artificial structure of the urban ecosystem often results in inhabitants of towns and cities actively seeking contact with nature and wild animals (Savard et al 2000), but in urban landscapes, the presence of wildlife is limited by the availability of habitats, human disturbance, collisions with vehicles and behavioural shyness (Fernandez-Juricic and Jokimäki 2001; Ditchkoff et al 2006)
Different food and bird feeder types in both urban and rural environments may mediate species winter survival and species interactions and affect bird communities. In this large-scale study conducted in 26 locations across Poland (156 squares of 0.25 km2), we showed marked differences between urban and rural areas regarding supplementary feeding of wintering birds
Summary
Urbanization is increasing across the globe and it is recognized as a major factor affecting species, populations and assemblages (Turner et al 2004; Grimm et al 2008). Urbanization is recognized as a major threat to biodiversity, there is increasing evidence that urban habitats may play a role in conservation (Jokimäki and Suhonen 1998; Chamberlain et al 2004; Evans et al 2009). The general belief is that more natural environments, such as rural areas, provide a more suitable habitat for most species and for their conservation (Turner et al 2004; Evans et al 2009). The artificial structure of the urban ecosystem often results in inhabitants of towns and cities actively seeking contact with nature and wild animals (Savard et al 2000), but in urban landscapes, the presence of wildlife is limited by the availability of habitats, human disturbance, collisions with vehicles and behavioural shyness (Fernandez-Juricic and Jokimäki 2001; Ditchkoff et al 2006). Among the many different methods to increase the number of wild animals in urban areas, supplementary food provision using bird feeders is probably the best known way to support birds in winter
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