Habitat preferences of farmland birds on the Heves Environmentally Sensitive Area
Abstract
In the last quarter of the 20th century the populations of many farmland birds declined across north and west Europe, suggesting that this trend will be present in central European countries, including Hungary. The aim of our study was to get more information about the habitat preferences of five farmland birds: Quail (Coturnix coturnix), Skylark (Alauda arvensis), Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava), Common Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus) and Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra). Bird censuses were conducted applying the line transect method on the Heves Environmentally Sensitive Area from April to May, in 2008. The distribution of the five species was species-specific, with the Quail showing similar distributions in all fields (wheat, set-aside, oil-seed rape, maize, semi-natural pasture, alfalfa, sun-flower), while the Yellow Wagtail, Stonechat and Corn Bunting showed preferences for the oil-seed rape and set-aside. The Skylark preferred the set-aside. We hypothetised that the diversity of crops in the region, and the relatively low level of management intensity are responsible for the richness of birdlife in crops. Further investigations are needed to clarify the exact reasons, and to compare breeding success between natural habitats and arable fields.
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