Preface

Relationships between organisms and their habitats are central to many themes in ecology and evolutionary biology. Studies of birds have made large contributions to the understanding of how habitat can interact with population dynamics, community structure and behaviour. The adaptive value of habitat choices is also especially well illustrated by research on birds. In the last three decades there have been large advances in knowledge about the mechanisms affecting habitat selection, especially concerning the role of behavioural and landscape-scale processes. As the complexity of interactions between birds and their environments has become more fully appreciated, the difficulties of achieving a synthesis have escalated.

This book examines bird–habitat relationships mainly in the context of temperate cultural landscapes. The emphasis is on western Europe, but many chapters draw heavily on research emanating from other continents, notably North America. This approach has the advantage of making the subject more manageable, but it also stresses the multi-layered influences of human activities on habitat suitability for birds. Although the book is not overtly concerned with conservation, much of the material summarised in these pages has been accumulated through a strong desire on the part of researchers that a rich biodiversity should thrive alongside humans in the cultural landscapes of the future.