Foraging on human-derived foods by urban bird species

Abstract

18Capsule: Providing peanuts on bird feeders was shown to attract more individuals and more 19 species than providing cheese or bread. 20Aims: To investigate how the provision of different human-derived foods affects visitation rates 21 of urban birds at bird feeders. 22Methods: A fully replicated study design was set up in parkland, offering a binary choice from 23 three food types (peanuts, bread and cheese), on bird tables. Birds were observed using a scan-24 sample method. 25Results: Peanuts attracted more visits and a greater diversity of species than cheese or bread. 26This preference was strongest for Blue Tits and Great Tits, whereas Robins visited all food types 27equally, and Blackbirds preferred cheese. Bread was the most consumed food type when 28 measured in mass, but this could be linked to varying bite sizes. 29 Conclusion:Our results indicate that most birds preferred to visit the most protein-and energy-30 rich food, but that some birds still choose the carbohydrate-rich bread. The findings indicate that 31 peanuts, rather than household scraps like bread and cheese, attract the highest number of bird 32 species as well as individuals to bird tables. The findings are of interest to the public and to 33 organisations providing information on bird feeding for recreational purposes. 34 35

Behavioural responses to human disturbance in an alpine bird

“…Much research on the effects of human disturbance on birds has been carried out in urban or suburban environments, highlighting issues related to urban development (Concepción et al 2016;Tomasevic and Marzluff 2017;Bàtary et al 2018), or focusing on the effect of supplementary food sources provided by humans (Schoech et al 2007;Robb et al 2008;Hanmer et al 2017;West and Peery 2017;Støstad et al 2017). However, gaps are still present as regards the alpine avifauna, and the present study aims to address this using the Alpine Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus as a model species.…”

Avian trait specialization is negatively associated with urban tolerance

“…For example, diet specialization of birds is likely related to the level of urban tolerance because species with broad diet breadths are likely able to find many different food sources in urban habitats compared with specialist species (Coogan et al 2018). Species that are highly specialized in their foraging substrate, habitat and nesting site life history would likely be at higher risk in urban areas, where the types of substrates/habitats/nesting sites are limited due to the exclusion of some natural habitats (Støstad et al 2017). Lastly, we expected species with generalist foraging behaviour strategies would be correlated with urban tolerance because they would be especially adapted to finding food in unique and novel urban ecosystems.…”

Studi identifikasi keanekaragaman hayati pada habitat Jalak Lawu, wilayah lereng Gunung Lawu, Kabupaten Magetan

“…Pada elevasi 2100-2200 mdpl terdapat lahan pertanian di sebelah kanan dan kiri jalur pengamatan. Pos 2 merupakan batas lahan pertanian di jalur Stostad et al (2017) menunjukkan bahwa burung lebih suka jenis pakan kaya protein dan energi, namun apabila jenis ini tidak dijumpai maka burung juga akan memakan pakan artifisial seperti roti dan bahan makanan yang kaya akan karbohidrat. Burung Jalak Lawu juga memakan beberapa jenis serangga dengan cara mematuk-matuk permukaan tanah untuk mencari serangga.…”