Multispecies relations shape bird-feeding practices

While humans often feed birds in their backyards, there is a growing awareness that this has positive and negative effects on local biodiversity. Whether the observed species assemblage shapes human activities has, however, rarely been investigated. We analyzed 15,088 open-ended answers from 9473 Finnish respondents about why they have increased or reduced feeding birds. They mentioned 58 avian and non-avian species linked to changed practices. The main reasons for change were (1) respondent's relation to nonhuman species, (2) respondent's relation to other humans, and (3) relations between nonhuman species. Most taxa and reasons could lead to both increase or decrease in feeding, although the direction was context-dependent. We suggest that bird-feeding is an interactive process where the species community strongly affects feeding practices, which in turn can affect community composition. Recognizing this process is crucial for understanding the effects of bird-feeding on both humans and nature and providing more nuanced guidance.

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Publication Details

Journal
npj Biodiversity
Published
2025-03-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-025-00080-y
Primary Topic
Animal and Plant Science Education
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Multispecies relations shape bird-feeding practices

Rose Thorogood, Andrea Santangeli, Tuomas Aivelo, Anttoni Kervinen et al.
npj Biodiversity
Animal and Plant Science Education
article

Multispecies relations shape bird-feeding practices

Rose Thorogood, Andrea Santangeli, Tuomas Aivelo, Anttoni Kervinen, Heta Lähdesmäki, Katja Rönkä, Aleksi S. Lehikoinen, Purabi Deshpande, Anna Haukka, Mikko Aulio, Johanna Enström, Virpi Väkkärä
article en

Abstract

While humans often feed birds in their backyards, there is a growing awareness that this has positive and negative effects on local biodiversity. Whether the observed species assemblage shapes human activities has, however, rarely been investigated. We analyzed 15,088 open-ended answers from 9473 Finnish respondents about why they have increased or reduced feeding birds. They mentioned 58 avian and non-avian species linked to changed practices. The main reasons for change were (1) respondent's relation to nonhuman species, (2) respondent's relation to other humans, and (3) relations between nonhuman species. Most taxa and reasons could lead to both increase or decrease in feeding, although the direction was context-dependent. We suggest that bird-feeding is an interactive process where the species community strongly affects feeding practices, which in turn can affect community composition. Recognizing this process is crucial for understanding the effects of bird-feeding on both humans and nature and providing more nuanced guidance.

npj BiodiversityVol. 4(1)
Leiden University (NL), University of Helsinki (FI), University of Turku (FI), Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (ES), Finnish Museum of Natural History (FI), Laurea University of Applied Sciences (FI)
European Commission, Emil Aaltosen Säätiö, HELSUS Kestävyystieteen Instituutti, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Helsingin Yliopisto, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 95%
Animal and Plant Science Education
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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