Project:

The influence of habitat structure on farmland bird populations

From July 2004 to July 2009
Project Leader(s): Dr Mark Whittingham
Contact: m.j.whittingham@ncl.ac.uk
Sponsors: BBSRC
Partners: Dr Claire Devereux

In both arable and grassland systems we have shown that creating small scale heterogeneity alters patch use by birds. For example, cutting of one half of a grass field and leaving the other as a control (as shown in this figure) altered patch use with most bird species (especially below-ground insectivores such as thrushes, starlings and corvids) showing a preference for the shorter grass.I plan to study how vegetation structure influences the feeding ecology, habitat use and population dynamics of farmland birds.  The results will enhance knowledge of behavioural ecology, but also inform options for management of farmland habitats to encourage bird populations.  The basic tenet is that the variation in the suitability of habitats for birds is dependent to a significant degree on vegetation structure.  This is because the structure of the habitat affects both the availability of food and the vulnerability of foraging birds to attack by predators.  In turn, food availability and predation risk affect habitat suitability and hence habitat choice.  The effects of vegetation structure on habitat choice have largely been studied in enclosures and in short-term experiments.  In my proposal I intend to scale up the study of these effects to look at them at the farm and local population level.  My results, in addition to advancing our understanding of population processes, will therefore lead directly to options for managing the agricultural environment for bird populations.

Staff

Dr Mark Whittingham
Reader in Applied Ecology