Pesticides and fertilisers driving down bird species, study finds
A Europe-wide investigation over more than 30 years found modern farming practices to be a leading cause of decline.
The increased use of pesticides and fertilisers on farmland has been the main cause of decline for many bird species across Europe, a new study has found.
Using data from 28 countries across a 37-year period, researchers learnt that common bird species have shown a general decline of 25% across the continent, including the UK.
Farmland species have more than halved over the same period – 1980 to 2016 – with woodland birds declining by 18%, urban dwellers by 28%, northern, cold-preferring birds by 40% and southern, warm-preferring birds by 17%.
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