British Birds Grow Fitter on “Garden Buffets”

Human interference in nature can have positive results: a research found that the passion of the Britons for feeding wild birds in their gardens has led to a significant growth in number of several species.

At least half of Britain’s homeowners feed wild birds in their gardens and researchers, writing in Nature Communications, found they support 133 bird species – more than half of the country’s species – and are reshaping urban bird populations.

The increasingly appetising buffet provided for garden birds, from treats such as sunflower hearts or fat balls, is supporting a greater diversity of species in Britain’s urban areas, according to the research, and thus make them fitter for survival.

 ‘We found that the number of feeders provided in a garden had a greater influence on species richness and diversity than either winter temperature or local habitat’, wrote researchers Kate Plummer and Kate Risely in the paper.

Two of the biggest beneficiaries of the love affair between the Britons and the birds were goldfinches and wood pigeons with sightings jumping to more than 80 percent from less than 20 percent in 1973. Other birds to have significantly increased their visits to feeders since the Seventies include great spotted woodpeckers, magpies, pheasants and nuthatches.