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COLUMBIA, Mo.– It matters to birds as well as people when revitalizing neighborhoods afflicted by declining population, poverty, abandoned housing and numerous vacant lots, according to a recent study by University of Missouri wildlife professors Charles Nilon and Robert Pierce.
Nilon and Pierce led a research project with two former graduate students, Sebastian Moreno and Andrew Mallinak, to investigate the factors that determine bird diversity in two urban neighborhoods in St. Louis with high vacancy rates.
According to Moreno, American robins and northern cardinals, prized for their beauty and distinctive songs, were more likely to be found on residential streets that had greater tree canopy cover, which provides nesting opportunities, protection from predators and the elements. Trees also provide food sources like insects, worms and berries. Less attractive and more aggressive birds like starlings and sparrows were more common around properties with vacant buildings and little tree and shrub canopy.
“Birds are valuable indicators for gauging ecological changes in urban settings,” says Pierce. “Identifying habitat features that support sustainable bird populations in residential areas with large amounts of vacant land can help urban planners make better-informed decisions.”
According to Nilon, “Planting and maintaining trees and shrubs, along with changing how vacant lots are managed, could be effective ways to improve urban wildlife habitat and make neighborhoods more inviting for both people and birds.”
The study notes that vacant lots have potential to contribute meaningful conservation value, such as through community-led programs such as St. Louis’ Green City Coalition to revitalize vacant lands.
Although formal green spaces such as residential yards and parks make up a substantial portion of urban land, they may offer limited diversity for plant and bird species unless steps are taken to manage these areas, says Nilon. But informal urban green spaces such as vacant lots may foster greater plant and bird diversity due to the heightened structural complexity of vegetation and prevalence of native species.
North St. Louis was the focus of this three-year research funded by the National Science Foundation due to the city’s 60% population decline since its peak in the 1950s. Green City Coalition and other programs, including those led by MU Extension, provide practical guidance and institutional support for greening efforts across different lot types, Pierce says.
Extension programs provide applied guidance and recommended context-specific designs for vacant lot reuse that enhance biodiversity while addressing environmental justice concerns, he says.
The full article, A Beautiful Bird in the Neighborhood: Canopy Cover and Vegetation Structure Predict Avian Presence in High-Vacancy City, is available in the journal Land.