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Influence of human population size and the built environment on avian assemblages in urban green spaces

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Abstract

While studies of how habitat patch dynamics structures avian communities in urban environments has received some attention, there is considerably less known of how the built environment and human population size may influence the structuring of urban bird communities. We investigated bird populations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (U.S.A.) through replicated point count surveys of breeding birds in 50 parks and cemeteries of varying sizes. We counted 4,435 individual birds in 441 counts. Of the 61 species detected, 27 were rare (detected at <8 points). Migratory species accounted for 46.1 % of all individuals, while 23.2 % of all individuals were of introduced species. Species richness increased significantly with green area size, as did the number of rare species. Species diversity decreased significantly with an increase in the proportion of individuals of introduced species; in particular, cavity nesters were less abundant when introduced species were present. Elements of the built urban environment including commercial development and transportation corridors were associated with significant reductions in park-wide species richness, mean number of species per point, and mean number of individual birds recorded per point. Human population size was positively related to increased numbers of individuals of introduced species, but a lower mean number of species per point. Ours is among the first to identify specific relationships between avian population characteristics and human population size, as few other studies have specifically incorporated human population size into a local, fine grain study design. Our data suggest that human population size is an important parameter that can be measured independently of characteristics of the built environment and the physical characteristics of the park itself as a correlate of avian diversity and abundance. Our study points to a variety of trade-offs needed to manage habitat for birds in urban settings.

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Acknowledgments

City land use maps and park boundary information was kindly provided by Kathryn Reed under an Allegheny County GIS Data Exchange Agreement, and by Peter Smith, Senior GIS Analyst at Chester Engineers. City maps were provided by the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning. Field observations were completed by Lucas Musher, Eric Hall, Carol McCullough, Fred McCullough, Steven Latta, and Jean Deo. Funding for field work was provided by the National Aviary; data analyses were supported by West Virginia University and the National Aviary. We thank anonymous reviewers for helpful commentary.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Aviary, Allegheny Commons West, Pittsburgh, PA, 15212, USA

    Steven C. Latta

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Langley Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA

    Lukas J. Musher

  3. School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Dana Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Krista N. Latta

  4. Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, Percival Hall, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Todd E. Katzner

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  1. Steven C. Latta
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Correspondence to Steven C. Latta.

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Latta, S.C., Musher, L.J., Latta, K.N. et al. Influence of human population size and the built environment on avian assemblages in urban green spaces. Urban Ecosyst 16, 463–479 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-012-0282-z

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