![]() Moreover, it has been suggested that rural and urban populations of particular bird species differ in consumed food resources (Gavett and Wakeley 1986 Krystofková et al. However provisioning of bird-feeders even in rural habitats has become more popular in recent decades (Ockendon et al. Bird-feeders are particularly commonly exploited in urban habitats and in areas where feeders are already available. 2015a), and one reason is supplementary birds feeding by people. Recent studies carried out in Poland have shown that population density of urban birds has more than doubled compared to that of rural birds (Tryjanowski et al. ![]() ![]() However, birds use bird-feeders during critical periods like winter, because birds are like other animals strongly resource-limited, and provisioning of feeders plays a significant role as a determinant of important life-history traits such as survivorship, phenology and fecundity (Robb et al. This is due to feeders accumulating faeces and pathogenic microorganisms that pose a threat to birds. Provided food to birds differs not only in price, caloric value and attractiveness to birds, what is best recognised by human supported birds, but also remaining (unconsumed) food may endanger bird health (Wilcoxen et al. On the one hand, estimating the cost of provided food is crucial for calculating recreational and psychological ecosystem services provided by birds (Cowie and Hinsley 1988 Ratcliffe et al. Feeding birds is probably among the most popular animal-human interactions (Jones and Reynolds 2008), and producing and selling bird food is still an increasing market (Buczacki 2007 Jones and Reynolds 2008). Generally, people support birds with food in winter not only for conservation purposes, but also for aesthetic reasons, and most providers of food would like to know what is the most preferred food (Lott 1988 Cox and Gaston 2015) to attract more birds (Cowie and Hinsley 1988 Galbraith et al. 2008 Orros and Fellowes 2015), also providing an important tool for improving knowledge on birds for people, thereby connecting humans to nature (Cox and Gaston 2015). The degree of use of a particular type of food at bird-feeders depended on the overall use of food in a bird-feeder-consumption of each of the four types of food was significantly positively correlated with that of the others, and it was positively correlated with the number of birds observed at the feeders.īird-feeders are ubiquitous across the globe, but are mainly used in the temporal zone, with vast quantities of food and other resources being provided for birds (Robb et al. However, no significant differences were recorded between urban and rural habitats in use of food. Sunflower seeds were the most preferred food supplement both in urban and rural habitats, significantly more exploited than any other food simultaneously available in feeders (animal fat, millet seed and dry fruits of rowanberry). Data were collected twice during winter 2013–2014 across Poland, in total with 80 experimental trials. We conducted an experimental analysis of food preferences of wintering birds by provided bird-feeders in urban and rural environments across Poland. urban) on realised food preferences pattern. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to experimentally test winter food preferences of birds, with underlying potential influence of habitat (rural vs. Because feeding may have both desired effects (provisioning of nutritious food for under-nourished birds) and undesired effects (favouritism of competitively superior species, transmission of disease), management of supplementary sites should be optimized from an ecological and conservation perspective. ![]() Intentional winter bird feeding in gardens is one of the most common interactions between birds and humans.
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