<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Bird feeding by people is one of the most popular human-wildlife interactions globally. Urban ecology studies generally recognize that cities offer a more favourable habitat for many wintering birds compared to natural areas, primarily due to the increased availability of the winter food sources provided by people. However, actual field surveys about the residents’ bird feeding activity are rare. Here we surveyed bird feeders during the winter of 2021–2022 at 5-5 locations in two cities in Hungary. We recorded the number and type of bird feeders, the type of food offered, the number of bird species and individuals visiting the feeders. The density of feeders was higher in Veszprém, a middle-sized city (range: 60.1–206.1 bird feeders/km2) compared to Budapest, the capital city of Hungary (23.3–83.0 bird feeders/km2). The most frequent food types were fat balls, seed mix, and sunflower seeds in both cities. We registered a total of 516 individuals of 24 species on the feeders, and found that the type of the feeder, but not the city, significantly affected both the number of individuals and species visiting bird feeders. These results help to get a more complete picture of how the winter food supplies of birds are shaped by urbanization.
</abstract>

Bird feeding by people is one of the most popular human-wildlife interactions globally. Urban ecology studies generally recognize that cities offer a more favourable habitat for many wintering birds compared to natural areas, primarily due to the increased availability of the winter food sources provided by people. However, actual field surveys about the residents’ bird feeding activity are rare. Here we surveyed bird feeders during the winter of 2021–2022 at 5-5 locations in two cities in Hungary. We recorded the number and type of bird feeders, the type of food offered, the number of bird species and individuals visiting the feeders. The density of feeders was higher in Veszprém, a middle-sized city (range: 60.1–206.1 bird feeders/km2) compared to Budapest, the capital city of Hungary (23.3–83.0 bird feeders/km2). The most frequent food types were fat balls, seed mix, and sunflower seeds in both cities. We registered a total of 516 individuals of 24 species on the feeders, and found that the type of the feeder, but not the city, significantly affected both the number of individuals and species visiting bird feeders. These results help to get a more complete picture of how the winter food supplies of birds are shaped by urbanization.

Winter field survey of bird feeders in two Hungarian cities

Ornis Hungarica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Winter field survey of bird feeders in two Hungarian cities"}

Bird feeding by people is one of the most popular human-wildlife interactions globally. Urban ecology studies generally recognize that cities offer a more...

Winter field survey of bird feeders in two Hungarian cities

Published Online: Jun 12, 2024

Page range: 80 - 95

Received: Apr 16, 2024

Accepted: May 15, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/orhu-2024-0006

Keywords
urbanization, wildlife feeding, supplementary feeding, human-wildlife interaction, Central Hungary

© 2024 Boglárka Bukor et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Winter field survey of bird feeders in two Hungarian cities

Published Online: Jun 12, 2024

Page range: 80 - 95

Received: Apr 16, 2024

Accepted: May 15, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/orhu-2024-0006

Keywordsurbanization, wildlife feeding, supplementary feeding, human-wildlife interaction, Central Hungary

© 2024 Boglárka Bukor et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
urbanization, wildlife feeding, supplementary feeding, human-wildlife interaction, Central Hungary