Here is a really interesting post that was on WV-BIRD concerning bird feeding having an effect on bird behavior. The last two paragraphs are especially interesting.
Roger Mayhorn Compton Mt----- Original Message -----
To: <WV-BIRD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 8:59 AM Subject: Changes at the bird feeder
There is no doubt that the millions of people who maintain bird feeders has caused certain effects on the very feathered friends we are trying to attract.Well documented outbreaks of salmonellosis and conjunctivitis have been well documented. And then there is a very plausible theory out there that we in WV have probably seen the last of the yearly flocks of Evening Grosbeaks owing to the fact that since so many people in the Great Lakes States and southern Canadian Provinces are also maintaining well-stocked bird feeders, that the grosbeaks simply don't have to fly this far south to find plenty of food in winter.Now comes word of another change in bird populations, most likely due to the bird feeding hobby. From an article in Current Biology (Dec 29, 2009) comes word that wide spread bird feeding may be involved in avian evolution. Around 10% of central European blackcaps (an old world warbler) fly from southern Germany to the UK every winter, lured by human- provided birdseed. The remainder fly to Spain. This split migration has been going on since the 1960's, a time which would allow many generations of these groups to evolve,Two different groups have resulted in this time the UK blackcaps have rounder wings, reflecting the shorter distance they travel while their beaks are longer and narrower, better suited for foraging in bird feeders. On the other hand, the Spanish population has evolved broader beaks more adapted for feeding on wild fruits. If this continues, two distinct species may be the result.
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