Urban expansion threatens many bird species but it also creates valuable opportunities

 

Little egret - a bird increasingly to be seen in our towns and cities 

WHAT impact is the increasing urbanisation of the  planet having on birds?

This question will be explored at the annual conference of the  British Ornithologists'  Union to be held at Nottingham University between April 9-11 next year.

Says the brochure promoting the event: "The expansion of urban environments is a key driver of global biodiversity loss.

"It is likely to have an increasing impact in the future since urban environments can profoundly affect the composition and persistence of avian communities. 

"As well as the  loss of natural habitats, birds are likely to face exposure to new predators and stressors such as noise, light and air pollution.

"But urban habitats also present opportunities. 

"Milder climates and the availability of new resources enables some species to flourish."

The document continues: "With 20 per cent of all bird species occurring in cities, it is essential that researchers, conservationists and policy makers now come together to share their knowledge if  avian diversity can be maintained in a changing world. " 

Speakers booked include:

* Fran Bonier (Queen’s University, Canada):  Hormones in the city: do endocrine traits affect urban tolerance?

* Pablo Capilla-Lasheras (University of Glasgow): Causes and consequences of variation in the gut microbiome of urban and non-urban birds: insights from correlational and experimental data

* Dan Chamberlain (University of Turin) Linking bird communities and socio-economic status in urban areas

* Hugh Hanmer (British Trust for Ornithology):  Urban bird disease dynamics: investigating the role of gardens and supplementary feeding

* Lucas M. Leveau (CONICET-University of Buenos Aires): Flying colours over the city: the effect of urbanisation on the interspecific variation in plumage colour

* Ian MacGregor-Fors (University of Helsinki, Finland): Facing the urban tapestry: urbanisation as a spatio-temporally filtering force for birds

* Barbara Tomotani (Arctic University of Norway): Evolutionary ecology of biological clocks: insights from urban birds

More details at:

Urban birds | #BOU2024 - British Ornithologists' Union