Volume 19, 1 September 2016, Pages 47–55
Avian reactions towards human approaches in different urban greenery structures in Nanaimo
- Simon Fraser University, Canada
- Received 29 February 2016, Revised 28 June 2016, Accepted 28 June 2016, Available online 29 June 2016
Abstract
Urban
green spaces are vital for human quality of life and urban avian
ecology. In consequence, these areas attract cutting edge research on
human/animal relations and the human roles in avian foraging grounds.
However, few studies of bird reactions to human presence have included
bird adaptation and attraction to human behaviour. More commonly,
studies focus on structured, human approaches to subject birds, and
consequent avian reactive distances (alert and flight distances and
alert periods). This study of green spaces in Nanaimo, Canada, examines
the less studied factors for bird reactive behaviour, including the more
complex human behaviours such as hand waving, bird anticipation of
feeding, passerine and non-passerine bird behaviour and non-feeding
human presence. It also tests the hypothesis that bird species size,
greater vegetation height, more open vegetation and road and path
distance increase avian reactive distances. Consistent with established
theory, longer alert and flight distances resulted from larger species
size and proximate tree stands, but inconsistent with published
hypotheses, taller vegetation, and less dense shrubbery were not
sufficient predictors of avian reactive distances. Inconsistent with
other findings, larger species were also more attracted to humans than
smaller species, and anticipatory perching for human provided food
balanced with the alert periods between the alert and flight distances.
Most species had shorter reactive distances in human presence and were
either significantly more likely to forage in human presence or showed
no correlation with human presence or absence. The results of this study
contribute to current knowledge of bird reactions to human presence and
behavior in variable urban green spaces.
Keywords
- Alert distances;
- Flight distances;
- Alert periods;
- Ecology;
- Green space;
- Urban;
- Nanaimo
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