Relative roles of grey squirrels, supplementary feeding, and habitat in shaping urban bird assemblages.

ABSTRACT: Non-native species are frequently considered to influence urban assemblages. The grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis is one such species that is widespread in the UK and is starting to spread across Europe; it predates birds' nests and can compete with birds for supplementary food. Using distance sampling across the urbanisation intensity gradient in Sheffield (UK) we test whether urban grey squirrels influence avian species richness and density through nest predation and competition for supplementary food sources. We also assess how urban bird assemblages respond to supplementary feeding. We find that grey squirrels slightly reduced the abundance of breeding bird species most sensitive to squirrel nest predation by reducing the beneficial impact of woodland cover. There was no evidence tha

SUBMITTER: Bonnington C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4206278 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature