Date: September 6, 2018
Source: University of Stirling
Experts
at the University of Stirling have shed new light on the impact of habitat
fragmentation on migrant birds.
Scientists
used audio technology to analyse the behaviour of willow warblers, after spring
migration, in 23 woodland patches across Scotland and England. While the
patches were of a similar size, the landscapes in which they were located had
differing amounts of available habitat.
Significantly,
the study found that migrant male willow warblers arrived earlier in woodland
patches when there was less habitat in the surrounding landscape, within a 2km
radius.
The team
also found that an individual's decision to remain in a patch after initial
colonisation depended on patch quality, as measured by vegetation
characteristics. In particular, birds preferred to stay in woodlands with a
relatively open understorey, also known as undergrowth.
Robin
Whytock, of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, led the work as part of his PhD
alongside colleagues at the University, Professor Kirsty Park, Dr Elisa
Fuentes-Montemayor and co-supervisor Dr Kevin Watts at Forest Research.
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