Songbirds vs the world

Sometimes it can feel as though our songbird species are fighting a losing battle, with the world constantly changing around them due to climate change, habitat loss and urbanisation.

Our urban bird species, however, can often find a way to beat the odds, and prevail over the many obstacles that humans have created.

This year, a study published in the Dutch publication Deinsea showed that magpies and carrion crows have been creating nests from anti-bird spikes.

These spikes were incorporated into the nests to provide a good structure to hold the nest and twigs together, as well as provide defence and protection from predators of the nests. This study strikes an interesting question about how species adapt to loss of nesting spaces or a lack of natural nesting materials. These spikes can be seen in the above photograph captured in Scotland by Max Crawford.

Other studies have found great tits ands blue tits to adopt man-made nesting materials in nest construction. Blue tits and great tits were found to use manmade material in 84% of nests, and pied flycatchers used plastic in 35% of their nests.

Sadly, the use of non-natural nesting materials can have devastating consequences, as birds have been known to ingest or get tangled in plastics which can lead to death. Land based birds are more likely to incorporate man-made materials into nest structures, and even without ingestion, this can cause a variety of other issues, including a higher prevalence of fleas in nests.

Urban nesting challenges:

Increasing urbanisation has removed so many natural nesting sites for bird species, with hedgerows and forests replaced by houses and flats. And yet, songbirds persist. Swifts, house sparrows, and starlings use the eaves of houses to nest, roofs house cups full of squawking chicks, pipes house great tits and dippers nestling in the cracks in bridges. Nest boxes have also created the unique opportunity for birds to live in urban areas, where many trees have been removed, taking away their cavity nesting spaces.

Whilst urbanisation continues, with over 66% of the population worldwide expected to be living within urban areas by 2050, there is hope. Councils across the UK have taken action to mandate swift bricks be used in new housing developments, which not only house swifts but can be nesting spaces for a variety of songbird species like declining sparrows and starlings. Green roofs are also becoming trendier in cities, as the incorporation of greenery into the concrete jungle provide a boost to mental health, in addition to vegetation to shelter and provide food to songbirds and insects alike.

Adopting a wildlife-friendly approach to gardening is also becoming a hot topic, with more people offering native vegetation to provide year-round food for birds, mammals, and insects with little maintenance. There is always more we can do, to reverse the damage our influence has had on the environment. We would love if you could share with us what you do in your urban landscape to help songbirds via social media or drop us an email at dawn-chorus@songbird-survival.org.uk.

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Reference

Briggs, K.B., Deeming, D.C., Mainwaring, M.C. (2023) Plastic is a widely used and selectively chosen nesting material for pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) in rural woodland habitats. Science of the total environment. 854: 158660

Hanmer, H.J., Thomas, R.L., Beswick, G.J.F., Collins, B.P., Fellowes, M.D.E. (2017) Use of anthropogenic material affects bird nest arthropod community structure: influence of urbanisation, and consequences for ectoparasites and fledging success. Journal of Ornithology. 1-15.

Hiemstra, A.F., Moeliker, C.W., Gravendeel, B., Schilthuizen, M. (2023) Bird nests made from anti-bird spikes. Deinsea. 21: 17 - 25

Jagiello, Z., Dylewski, L., Tobolka, M., Aguirre, J.I. (2019) Life in a polluted world: A global review of anthropogenic materials in bird nests. Environmental Pollution. 251: 717-722.

Reynolds, S., Ibáñez Álamo, J.D., Sumasgutner, P., Mainwaring, M. (2019) Urbanisation and nest building in birds: a review of threats and opportunities. Journal of Ornithology. 160: 841-860. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01657-8

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The SBS Team

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If you are a scientist and would like to shine a light on your recent research covering songbirds here in the UK, then let us know! As a supporter of our charity, if you have ideas for blog posts you would like to see and topics you would like us to cover on #theSBSblog, please contact us at dawn-chorus@songbird-survival.org.uk or our Research and Engagement Manager at charlotte@songbird-survival.org.uk. 

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