An Assessment of the Relationship Between Individual Farmland Bird Species Abundance and the Field Boundary Evaluation and Grading System

Abstract

Field boundaries, including hedgerows, are important semi-natural habitats for many Irish farmland birds. There is a need for proactive conservation measures targeted towards common species. An investigation was conducted into the relationship between the Field Boundary Evaluation and Grading System index (FBEGS) and individual farmland bird species in Ireland. FBEGS is a tool that can be used to assess the ecological quality of field boundaries and is a useful predictor of total farmland bird communities. Here, we used data collected during 2005–06 to evaluate the relationship between field boundary quality (using FBEGS) and the abundance of a range of individual bird species recorded in the winter and breeding seasons. Blackbird Turdus merula and robin Erithacus rubecula had positive relationships with FBEGS in winter, and blackbird T. merula , wren Troglodytes troglodytes and woodpigeon Columba palumbus had positive relationships with FBEGS in the breeding season. This indicates that FBEGS can be used to predict the abundance of particular bird species within hedgerows. However, there are limitations to this predictive ability, likely due to species-specific preferences in terms of the ecological quality of hedgerows.