Birds from the burgh: Bird diversity and its relation with urban traits in a small town

Abstract

The global tendency towards urbanisation results in habitat transformation, and even replacement, for many species. However, properlymanaged, urbanised areas can contribute in promoting biodiversity conservation. Urban planning and management for biodiverse cities can use information on the ecological relationships that occur within its limits tomeet their goals. Most studies on the topic have been carried out in large cities, but we knowmuch less about the ecology of smaller cities and towns. In this study, we assessed bird species diversity and density within St.Andrews, a small town in Scotland's Southeast coast, and explored relationships between urban and geographical traits, and bird diversity. We recorded 29 bird species, 5 of which (i.e. CommonWood-pigeon, Columba palumbus; House Sparrow, Passer domesticus; European Robin, Erithacus rubecula; EuropeanHerringGull, Larus argentatus and Blackbird, Turdus merula) composedmore than half of the total bird records. Elevation, number of passing pedestrians and distance to the nearest coastal border were the variables that best explained variation in bird species richness. According to our estimate, there were over 11 000 bird individuals within the town in the surveyed space and time, i.e. 26.2 birds per hectare or 0.7 per person. This information could be useful for future environmental policies design tomake urbanised environmentsmore hospitable for the biota, so we can promote biodiverse environments. It can also help connect people with nature and facilitate positive human-avian interactions.