Research article2014Peer reviewed
Bird song diversity influences people´s appreciation of urban landscapes.
Hedblom, Marcus; Heyman, Eric; Antonsson, Henrik; Gunnarsson, Bengt
Abstract
Increased losses of green areas in cities reduce people's experience of flora and fauna. Earlier studies have shown that biodiversity has benefits for urban inhabitants but the influence of animal sounds on people's experience of green space is poorly known. A sample of young urban people (N = 227) rated their reactions - positive or negative - to three bird song combinations: House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), 7 spp. i.e. Willow Warbler, Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), Great Tit (Parus major), European Robin (Erithacus rubecula), Common Blackbird (Turdus merula), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), three urban settings (residential areas with varying amount of greenery) and nine combinations of song and setting. Bird song was generally considered positive and singing by several species was more highly rated than singing by a single species. On average, urban settings combined with bird song were more highly appreciated than the settings alone and even more so where there was singing by several species rather than just one. We conclude that our data support the idea that bird song contributes to positive values associated with urban green space. Urban planners should consider preserving a variety of habitats in cities for hosting a diversity of birds and thereby boost conservation of songbird diversity and recreational experiences for urban people. (C) 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Biodiversity; Green space; Passerines; Songbirds; Urban soundscape; Urban woodland
Published in
Urban Forestry and Urban Greening
2014, Volume: 13, number: 3, pages: 469–474
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
UKÄ Subject classification
Other Biological Topics
Publication identifier
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2014.04.002
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/64416