Research

The abundance of farmland birds within arable fields in relation to seed density.

Author	Hart, J.D., Murray, A.W.A., Milsom, T.P., Parrott, D., Allcock, J., Watola, G.V., Bishop, J.D., Robertson, P.A., Holland, J.M., Bowyer, A., Birkett, T.C., & Begbie, M.
Citation	Hart, J.D., Murray, A.W.A., Milsom, T.P., Parrott, D., Allcock, J., Watola, G.V., Bishop, J.D., Robertson, P.A., Holland, J.M., Bowyer, A., Birkett, T.C., & Begbie, M. (2002). The abundance of farmland birds within arable fields in relation to seed density. Aspects of Applied Biology, 67: 221-228.

Abstract

Bird and seed counts were conducted within arable fields where seed densities had been manipulated in a large-scale experiment. In a preliminary analysis of the data the relationship between seed density and the distribution and abundance of skylark Alauda arvensis and yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella within arable fields over winter was assessed. Data were analysed from 33 fields on a farm in Lincolnshire. The distribution and abundance of both species were strongly effected by crop composition and were independent of seed density. The results suggested that the relationship between bird numbers and seed density was not simply deterministic but was also very dependent on field habitat characteristics.

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