Nutritional implications of feeding free-living birds in public urban areas.

ABSTRACT: Supplementary feeding can affect populations of birds. It reduces energy spent on foraging and reduces the risk of starvation, but it also increases the risk of disease transmission and predation. Supplementary feeding may reduce species richness if some species are better able to exploit supplementary food resources than others. Feeding may also artificially inflate the carrying capacity of the ecosystem, leading to bird nuisance in the form of droppings and noise. The aim of this study was to characterise and quantify the risk factors and consequences of feeding free-living birds in public areas in the western part of the city of Amsterdam. In seven study areas, the following data were collected: bird population size and species composition, feeding events, and the type and amount of sup

SUBMITTER: Burt SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7984256 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature