Old-style villages helping birds

Traditional style villages may be very important for bird conservation, according to a recent Polish study. The study, published in The Journal of Applied Ecology, found that old villages and farms had more birds from more species than those built after 1989. The differences were quite marked; in villages with fewer than 10% new buildings, an average of 20-25 species were recorded, yet in those with about 50% new buildings, this figure dropped to fewer than 10 species. The authors of the study advocate supporting traditional farming, and making modern architecture more biodiversity friendly.