World Economic Forum – “Britain’s love affair with garden birds is reshaping its avian population. Several species have grown in number and overall diversity has increased, according to new research that explores the impact of the nation’s obsession with bird feeders. With at least half of all British households catering for the birds in their gardens, the report enhances our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary repercussions. “There is a multi-billion dollar global industry dedicated to feeding wild birds in residential gardens,” researchers, including Kate Plummer and Kate Risely, wrote in the paper. “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.”

Gardens account for around one-quarter of all urban land cover in Britain, and support 133 types of bird, more than half the country’s species. An uptick in the range was one of the key findings, with birds that previously rarely appeared in gardens now commonplace. In contrast, no population increases were seen in species that do not visit feeders. Two of the biggest beneficiaries were goldfinch and wood pigeon, with sightings jumping to more than 80% from less than 20% in 1973. In the 1970s, bird feeders were dominated by house sparrows and starlings, and they are still among the most frequently seen, according to the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch 2019…”