Groups of gardens: how do yard characteristics influence birds in an urban matrix?

Background/Question/Methods

Most urban ecological research has focused on sizable green spaces like parks or remnant habitats within the city, but the importance of the matrix is becoming increasingly apparent.  With this study, we focused on the importance of patches of yards and gardens in residential areas for bird species.  We surveyed over 900 residents along 1km transects in Cook County, IL about their yard design and management practices, including the types of vegetation and “wildlife-friendly” features present in their gardens.

Results/Conclusions

For 26 transects in residential neighborhoods, we found that over 35% of yards contained bird feeders, almost 40% had bird baths or other small water features, and more than half of the residents surveyed had plants with fruits or berries in their yards.  Across all neighborhoods surveyed, we found a total of 40 bird species, with species richness ranging from 11 to 22 bird species between neighborhoods.  Preliminary results indicate that native bird species richness in residential neighborhoods is linked with patches of gardens that have high structural diversity of vegetation and plants with fruit or berries, although features like bird feeders are less important.  These results suggest that urban residents can strengthen their connections with nature by starting in their own backyards.