Feeders could hit best-loved birds
FEEDING the birds may make us feel good but it could be harming some of our best-loved native species, scientists have warned.
This is because the kind gesture of leaving nut-filled feeders and stale bread in the back garden is more likely to attract foreign invaders.
An 18-month study found feeding birds in towns may be upsetting the delicate balance between native species and larger, more aggressive varieties introduced from overseas.
The study by the University of Auckland in New Zealand looked at the differences in bird numbers between gardens where food was provided and those where it was not.
In households where bread and seed were put out every day, non-native birds benefited the most, with spotted doves becoming 3.5 times more common within two months.
By contrast, the native grey warbler became less abundant, according to the research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The authors concluded: ‘The study demonstrates that common feeding practices can encourage higher densities of introduced birds, with potential negative consequences for native birds.’
Non-native species can crowd out smaller native birds, with some species driven out of areas where other habitats, such as woodland and hedgerows, have disappeared. The researchers urged people to put out food that specifically attracts native species. The RSPB’s recommendations include peanuts for tits and greenfinches, and dried fruit or grated mild cheese for robins, song thrushes and blackbirds.
Modern birds may have evolved six million years earlier than thought. Palaeontologists say two fossils found in China two years ago are a previously unknown ornithuromorpha – the prehistoric ancestor of birds. They date back 130.7million years.
The oldest ornithuromorpha previously identified lived about 125million years ago.