Avian preference for close proximity to human habitation and its ecological consequences.

ABSTRACT: Human proximity often have negative consequences for wildlife. However, animals may also benefit from human proximity in terms of availability of resources and protection against predators and parasites. We recorded the distance between all birds detected during the breeding season along 18 5-km transects and the nearest inhabited house in three areas of 50 km² in Spain, France, and Denmark. More than three quarters of birds were located closer than 100 m to the nearest house, while the null expectation was less than a third. Mean distance for species was correlated with degree of bird urbanization and with flight initiation distance. Habitat specialist species with small breeding territories tended to live closer to houses. Birds from species having more broods per year, larger

SUBMITTER: Moller AP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6178794 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature