Farming and Birds

The way that people use the land – whether for food production, recreation, housing and other infrastructure – shapes the habitats of birds and other wildlife. Over time, almost all of the landscapes of developed countries have been created largely by human action, and have been continually modified as human needs and desires have changed. Bird populations are ultimately dependent on human activities, and this timely addition to the New Naturalist series examines what can be learnt about the needs and ecologies of the different species involved. The bird faunas of Britain and Ireland can be considered no less man-made than the landscapes in which they live. Each major change in land use practices has brought changes in the distributions and abundance levels of particular species, affecting the diversity and species composition of particular communities. The truth of these statements has become apparent from the documented changes in vegetation and bird populations that have...