Urban breeding birds fared better than their woodland counterparts during 2012's cold, wet weather for the first time in 10 years, a study has found.
Blue and great tits in a woodland area were compared with those in Cambridge.
Researchers found urban birds relied less on a single source of food, such as caterpillars, whose numbers are affected by cold weather.
Woodland birds also bred less during the cold spell in 2012, said the Anglia Ruskin University study.
It was carried out in conjunction with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH).
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) referred to 2012 as "one of the worst breeding seasons on record" following poor results in its annual surveys of nests and fledglings.
'Urban advantage'
The latest study concluded birds living in native British woodland were "more susceptible to the effects of extreme weather conditions than those in urban environments".
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