A recent study has shown that homeowners can turn their yards into mini bird refuges by planting vegetation that replicates or mimics native floral species. The research focused on native bird communities and landscape types in and around Phoenix, Arizona.
Researchers set up feeding stations (seed trays) in yards landscaped in one of two ways, either with native landscaping or with non-native landscaping. They then measured how much seed was left uneated to determine how long birds remained in the habitat.
They found that in yards with native landscaping, birds stayed at the feeding trays longer.
The study was conducted by scientists Susannah Lerman and Paige Warren of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and Hilary Gan and Eyal Shochat of Arizona State University.
Photo © Dave Sangster / iStockphoto.
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