På svenska
Modern agriculture and its effects on birds during migration
Many bird species connected to farmland habitats have suffered from
severe population declines during the last 40 years. Studies have so far
mainly focused on impacts on birds during breeding and/or over-wintering
season, and generally unified pointed out ‘agricultural intensification’
as the rascal. Apart from a number of studies on larger waterfowl like
geese, studies on possible effects of today’s agricultural methods on
birds during migration are scarce. The aim of this project is to fill
this gap by investigating the interplay between birds and agriculture
during the migratory season. In a general approach, we study different
farming and landscape types to figure out how agricultural methods, crop
types or farmland habitats affect different species. Additionally, we
use the Golden Plover (see picture below) as an example species for more
specific studies on a bird choosing intensive farmland as stop-over site
during migration. By the means of monitoring, observations, ringing data
and radio-telemetry, we examine this species’ whereabouts and
preferences in the agricultural landscape and try to construct time- and
energy budgets.
All in all, we try to understand the mechanisms
that act on farmland birds during migration and lay behind the negative
population trends of many species with the aim of identifying methods
that potentially could reverse these trends.
Page manager: Frida Rosengren
Questions about the website: Web group
Publisher: Department of Biology
Last modified 30 Mar 2012