Civil War Is Associated with Longer Escape Distances among Sri Lankan Birds

Gnanapragasam, Jonathan J.; Ekanayake, Kasun B.; Ranawana, K.B.; Symonds, Matthew R. E.; Weston, Michael A.

doi:10.1086/716660

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…human population or pedestrian density) precisely shapes the escape behaviour of urban animals is less clear. While some studies have revealed that tolerance to humans increased with increasing human presence at studied sites (Webb & Blumstein 2005;Mikula 2014), other studies reported much weaker, none or even opposite effects (Morelli et al 2018;Gnanapragasam et al 2021;Mikula et al 2021). Whether the COVID-19 shutdowns induced changes in human activities which then altered the urban-landscape of fear is unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Urban birds’ tolerance towards humans was largely unaffected by increased variation in human levels due to COVID-19 shutdowns

Mikula

Bulla

Blumstein³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically altered human activities, potentially relieving human pressures on urban-dwelling animals. Here, we evaluated whether birds from five cities in five countries (Czech Republic - Prague, Finland - Rovaniemi, Hungary - Budapest, Poland - Poznan, and Australia - Melbourne) changed their tolerance towards human presence (measured as flight initiation distance) during the COVID-19 shutdowns. We collected 6369 flight initiation distance estimates for 147 bird species and found that birds tolerated approaching humans to a similar level before and during the COVID-19 shutdowns. Moreover, during the shutdowns, bird escape behaviour did not consistently change with the level of governmental restrictions (measured as the stringency index). Hence, our results indicate that birds do not flexibly and quickly adjust their escape behaviour to the reduced human presence; in other words, the breeding populations of urban birds examined might already be tolerant of human activity and perceive humans as relatively harmless.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Urban birds’ tolerance towards humans was largely unaffected by increased variation in human levels due to COVID-19 shutdowns

Mikula

Bulla

Blumstein³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Our aim is to explore associations of available ecological and environmental traits used in existing comparative studies, in the context of a large tropical island avifauna. We compare a broad diversity of Sri Lankan species and present the most comprehensive comparative analysis of FID of a tropical island avifauna available, and the first account of FIDs for Sri Lankan birds in all climatic zones (see Gnanapragasam et al 2021). Given that tropical islands are under immense conservation pressure, sometimes hosting dense human populations (Qadeer 2000) and substantial nature and ecotourism (d'Hauteserre 2016), documenting response distances may also assist in informing suitable management of human disturbance (Guay et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological and environmental predictors of escape among birds on a large tropical island

Ekanayake

Gnanapragasam

Ranawana

et al. 2022

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Ecological and environmental traits can influence avian escape behaviour but most data underpinning our current understanding relates to continental and temperate areas and species. We conducted a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of flight-initiation distance (FID) against a variety of environmental, behavioural and life history attributes for Sri Lankan birds (202 species; n = 2540). As with other studies, body mass was positively associated with FID, and longer FIDs occurred in areas where human population density was lower. We also found that the effect of human population density was more pronounced in larger birds. Birds that were in groups when approached tended to have longer FIDs. Unlike the findings of other comparative analyses, based mostly on continental, temperate populations, most other ecological variables did not feature in the best models predicting FID (time of year, breeding system, clutch size, habitat, migratory behaviour, development [altricial/precocial], elevation and diet). Thus, some associations (body mass and exposure to humans) may be universal, while others may not manifest themselves among tropical avifaunas. Further tropical datasets are required to confirm truly universal associations of environmental and ecological attributes and escape distances among birds. Significance statement Escape responses in birds are influenced by the environment in which they live, the conditions under which they face a threat and their own biological characteristics. The vast majority of our knowledge of avian escape behaviour is derived from continental, temperate species. We examined the environmental and ecological factors that shape flight-initiation distance (FID), the distance at which a bird reacts to an approaching threat (a walking human) by escaping, using 2540 observations of 202 bird species on a large tropical island—Sri Lanka. Several predictors of FIDs in birds are clearly influential for Sri Lankan birds: body mass, human population density and whether the bird is alone or in as group. However, many other putative predictors are not, suggesting that tropical island avifaunas may have different responses to approaching threats compared to their temperate continental counterparts.

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“…Armed conflicts throughout Africa are responsible for substantial declines in large mammal populations (Daskin & Pringle, 2018). Noise from conventional weapons and low‐flying aircraft has physiological and behavioral consequences for avian and terrestrial wildlife (Gnanapragasam et al, 2021; Larkin et al, 1996). The survival of several endemic endangered species of flora and fauna after the widespread bombing of the Republic of Serbia in 1999 remains uncertain (Bakrač et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using US Natural Resource Damage Assessment to understand the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine

Wenning

Tomasi

2023

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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This article is part of the special series "Consequences of Modern Warfare on Ecology and the Environment." The series presents a collection of views from global experts on the broad environmental science and policy challenges raised by ecocide as a result of war, providing data-driven, science-based insights that inform our understanding of the environmental impacts of war, and how they may be documented, characterized, and responded to.

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Civil War Is Associated with Longer Escape Distances among Sri Lankan Birds

Cited by 9 publications

References 38 publications

Urban birds’ tolerance towards humans was largely unaffected by increased variation in human levels due to COVID-19 shutdowns

Urban birds’ tolerance towards humans was largely unaffected by increased variation in human levels due to COVID-19 shutdowns

Ecological and environmental predictors of escape among birds on a large tropical island

Using US Natural Resource Damage Assessment to understand the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine

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