Gardens provide important
habitat for many bird species, supporting some individuals
that are present year-round and others that only visit
when food is in short supply in other habitats. An appreciation
of how and when birds use gardens can make an important
contribution to our understanding of the pressures faced
by different species as they respond to changes within
the wider countryside.
Given that gardens are typically
viewed as being an artificial habitat, it is perhaps unsurprising
that their bird populations have been less well studied
than bird populations found in other habitats, like woodland
or farmland. However, BTO research has highlighted the
importance of gardens for many bird species and more and
more work is now looking at gardens and the diversity
of species they can support. The following links will
take you to other pages that deal with some of research
issues concerned with garden birds. More pages will be
added to this section over time, as increasing amounts
of research are published.