Using a birdfeeder network to explore the effects of suburban design on invasive and native birds

Troy C Ellick,Kara L Belinsky,Shannon L Ladeau

doi:10.5751/ace-01408-140202

Abstract

Belinsky, K. L., T. Ellick, and S. L. LaDeau. 2019. Using a birdfeeder network to explore the effects of suburban design on invasive and native birds. Avian Conservation and Ecology 14(2):2. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-01408-140202

Highlights

Urbanization is the process of replacing natural habitats such as vegetation, landforms, and waterways with anthropogenic habitats featuring ornamental landscaping, pavement, and buildings (Gaston 2010)
Midscale suburban developments typically feature lawns, pavement, and landscaped plantings, but our results indicate that replacing lawns with trees, or better yet, restored forest patches, may allow us to preserve and even increase the biodiversity of our rapidly multiplying suburban landscapes
Five species were detected during observations that were not captured during summer banding, including one species that was too large for the net size we used (Mourning Dove), and one species that only appears on campus during the winter months (Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis)

Summary

Introduction

Urbanization is the process of replacing natural habitats such as vegetation, landforms, and waterways with anthropogenic habitats featuring ornamental landscaping, pavement, and buildings (Gaston 2010). Urbanization is known to reduce the abundance and diversity of native wildlife, and is one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss across the globe (Grimm et al 2008, Gaston 2010, Pickett et al 2011, Seto et al 2012). Decades of research has revealed a trend of decreased diversity and increased abundance of birds in urban centers as compared to native habitats outside of cities (Warren and Lepczyk 2012, Shanahan et al 2013). Many researchers are increasingly focusing on the resiliency provided by urban green spaces, such as public parks

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