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Recent insect abundance declines may have affected populations of insectivorous bird species but evidence for this is limited. Here, we use spatially overlapping 29‐year time‐series of aerial insect biomass and Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica numbers and breeding success from southern England to model the association between changes in invertebrate prey abundance, Swallow productivity and population...
Habitat loss and climate change are key drivers of global biodiversity declines but their relative importance has rarely been examined. We attempted to attribute spatially divergent population trends of two Afro‐Palaearctic migrant warbler species, Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus and Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita, to changes in breeding grounds climate or habitat. We used bird counts...
Mountain ecosystems have special significance for biodiversity and are vulnerable to climate and other environmental changes. However, few assessments of drivers of change have been conducted in these areas in comparison to other more accessible biomes. In this study, we developed an objective and broad definition of a mountain bird, and systematically reviewed the existing literature for the 34 European...
UK moorlands are semi‐natural habitats managed for a mix of livestock, game shooting and forestry, among other activities. An assessment of the importance of characteristics that correlate with moorland bird populations of high conservation importance can inform appropriate management at appropriate locations. We use hierarchical partitioning to assess the absolute and relative importance of climate,...
The timing of migration is one of the key life‐history parameters of migratory birds. It is expected to be under strong selection, to be sensitive to changing environmental conditions and to have implications for population dynamics. However, most phenological studies do not describe arrival and departure phenologies for a species in a way that is robust to potential biases, or that can be clearly...
Previous studies have shown negative associations between wind energy development and breeding birds, including species of conservation concern. However, the magnitude and causes of such associations remain uncertain, pending detailed ‘before‐after‐control‐intervention’ (BACI) studies. We conducted one of the most detailed such studies to date, assessing the impacts of terrestrial wind energy development...
Generalist species are becoming increasingly dominant in European bird communities. This has been taken as evidence of biotic homogenization, whereby generalist ‘winners’ systematically replace specialist ‘losers’. We test this pattern by relating changes in the average specialization of UK bird communities to changes in the density of species with different degrees of habitat specialization. Although...
Collision risk modelling of birds at wind turbines typically requires vantage point (VP) data to quantify bird flight activity. The number of VP observation hours required to provide such data, and the associated error in predicted collision rate, have not been formally assessed. Using the Band model and a randomization procedure, we examine the sensitivity of collision rate predictions for the White‐tailed...
The Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata has recently expanded its range northwards and upwards in the UK, consistent with the hypothesis that this cold‐sensitive species has responded to a warming climate. We interrogated distribution data, collected during four national surveys of this species between 1974 and 2006, to assess whether this large‐scale range expansion has been accompanied by finer‐scale...
There is considerable interest in understanding how management may help species and populations cope with climate change (climate change adaptation). I used a population model describing the demography of a southern range‐margin European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria population vulnerable to climate change to assess the potential benefits associated with site‐based adaptation management. Two forms...
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