Birds from the burgh: bird diversity and its relation with urban traits in a small town (original) (raw)

Urban Birds related to habitat, population density, and socioeconomics in Cambridge

2019

Analyses of breeding birds at 31 locations in Cambridge MA revealed significant associations between the numbers of resident and migrant species and individuals and tree canopy cover, impervious surface cover, the ratio of canopy to impervious surface, and human population density. No significant correlations occurred between income or poverty and bird diversity, likely due to the compact, densified nature of Cambridge. Five wooded areas in the western part of the city had the majority of bird species. Most sites were dominated by a few common species, especially House Sparrows (Passer domesticus, >50% individuals). Mature residential areas and forested urban areas are of great importance to urban bird diversity, and continuous monitoring is necessary to mitigate the negative impacts of lot and block scale urban development on birds. Despite high bird diversity in key areas and well-distributed recreational open space in Cambridge, the potential daily exposure of the bulk of Camb...

Conserving biodiversity in urbanizing areas: nontraditional views from a bird’s perspective

2008

Abstract We review common population and community-level responses of wildlife to urbanization, and discuss how:(1) the amount and configuration of land cover and land use, and (2) the alteration of resources (eg, type of vegetation, presence of food and water) and processes (eg, natural disturbance regimes, species interactions, intensity of human recreation) within built environments influence animals, with special emphasis on birds.

Urbanisation and land-cover change affect functional, but not compositional turnover of bird communities

Urban Ecosystems

Land-use and land-cover change strongly affect biodiversity patterns and are assumed to be growing threats in the future. Particularly increasing urbanisation may affect species turnover and functional composition of biological communities. This study aimed to assess the characteristics of land-cover change in a medium-sized urban municipality from 2011 to 2018, and the effects of urbanisation on avian species- and functional diversity. The study was performed in Trondheim (Norway), using local land-cover maps and GBIF bird species occurrence records. GLMMs were used to model species turnover as a function of urbanisation, and the probability of species appearance and disappearance based on urbanisation and species traits. The extent of bird species turnover within a municipality-wide 500 × 500m2 grid was not predicted by a changes in developed area, but the probability of disappearance and appearance of bird species varied with urbanisation and bird functional traits. Species assoc...