Nature Communications (Apr 2023)
Bird tolerance to humans in open tropical ecosystems
- Peter Mikula,
- Oldřich Tomášek,
- Dušan Romportl,
- Timothy K. Aikins,
- Jorge E. Avendaño,
- Bukola D. A. Braimoh-Azaki,
- Adams Chaskda,
- Will Cresswell,
- Susan J. Cunningham,
- Svein Dale,
- Gabriela R. Favoretto,
- Kelvin S. Floyd,
- Hayley Glover,
- Tomáš Grim,
- Dominic A. W. Henry,
- Tomas Holmern,
- Martin Hromada,
- Soladoye B. Iwajomo,
- Amanda Lilleyman,
- Flora J. Magige,
- Rowan O. Martin,
- Marina F. de A. Maximiano,
- Eric D. Nana,
- Emmanuel Ncube,
- Henry Ndaimani,
- Emma Nelson,
- Johann H. van Niekerk,
- Carina Pienaar,
- Augusto J. Piratelli,
- Penny Pistorius,
- Anna Radkovic,
- Chevonne Reynolds,
- Eivin Røskaft,
- Griffin K. Shanungu,
- Paulo R. Siqueira,
- Tawanda Tarakini,
- Nattaly Tejeiro-Mahecha,
- Michelle L. Thompson,
- Wanyoike Wamiti,
- Mark Wilson,
- Donovan R. C. Tye,
- Nicholas D. Tye,
- Aki Vehtari,
- Piotr Tryjanowski,
- Michael A. Weston,
- Daniel T. Blumstein,
- Tomáš Albrecht
Affiliations
- Peter Mikula
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences
- Oldřich Tomášek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences
- Dušan Romportl
- Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University
- Timothy K. Aikins
- Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Management, University for Development Studies
- Jorge E. Avendaño
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes
- Bukola D. A. Braimoh-Azaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town
- Adams Chaskda
- AP Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, University of Jos
- Will Cresswell
- Centre for Biological Diversity, University of St Andrews
- Susan J. Cunningham
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town
- Svein Dale
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
- Gabriela R. Favoretto
- Grupo de Pesquisa e Conservação da Arara-azul-de-lear
- Kelvin S. Floyd
- International Crane Foundation/Endangered Wildlife Trust (ICF/EWT Partnership)
- Hayley Glover
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment, Deakin University
- Tomáš Grim
- Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava
- Dominic A. W. Henry
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town
- Tomas Holmern
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU
- Martin Hromada
- Laboratory and Museum of Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Ecology, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, University of Prešov
- Soladoye B. Iwajomo
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos
- Amanda Lilleyman
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University
- Flora J. Magige
- Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, University of Dar es Salaam
- Rowan O. Martin
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town
- Marina F. de A. Maximiano
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia. Avenida André Araújo
- Eric D. Nana
- Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD)
- Emmanuel Ncube
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Chinhoyi University of Technology
- Henry Ndaimani
- International Fund for Animal Welfare
- Emma Nelson
- School of Medicine, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool
- Johann H. van Niekerk
- Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa
- Carina Pienaar
- BirdLife South Africa, Isdell House
- Augusto J. Piratelli
- Departamento de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Federal de São Carlos
- Penny Pistorius
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town
- Anna Radkovic
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment, Deakin University
- Chevonne Reynolds
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town
- Eivin Røskaft
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU
- Griffin K. Shanungu
- International Crane Foundation/Endangered Wildlife Trust (ICF/EWT Partnership)
- Paulo R. Siqueira
- Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Federal University of Minas Gerais
- Tawanda Tarakini
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Chinhoyi University of Technology
- Nattaly Tejeiro-Mahecha
- Grupo de investigación ECOTONOS, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad de Los Llanos
- Michelle L. Thompson
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town
- Wanyoike Wamiti
- Zoology Department, National Museums of Kenya
- Mark Wilson
- British Trust for Ornithology, University of Stirling
- Donovan R. C. Tye
- Organisation for Tropical Studies
- Nicholas D. Tye
- C4 EcoSolutions
- Aki Vehtari
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University
- Piotr Tryjanowski
- Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences
- Michael A. Weston
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment, Deakin University
- Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California
- Tomáš Albrecht
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37936-5
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 14,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 10
Abstract
Abstract Animal tolerance towards humans can be a key factor facilitating wildlife–human coexistence, yet traits predicting its direction and magnitude across tropical animals are poorly known. Using 10,249 observations for 842 bird species inhabiting open tropical ecosystems in Africa, South America, and Australia, we find that avian tolerance towards humans was lower (i.e., escape distance was longer) in rural rather than urban populations and in populations exposed to lower human disturbance (measured as human footprint index). In addition, larger species and species with larger clutches and enhanced flight ability are less tolerant to human approaches and escape distances increase when birds were approached during the wet season compared to the dry season and from longer starting distances. Identification of key factors affecting animal tolerance towards humans across large spatial and taxonomic scales may help us to better understand and predict the patterns of species distributions in the Anthropocene.
