Mark bird nests during harvest or mowing

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
Share Tweet Email

View assessment score

How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

20%
Certainty

15%
Harms

not assessed

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Marking the nests of ground-nesting birds may reduce the accidental destruction by farmers during harvest or mowing.

Study locations

Key messages

One replicated study from the Netherlands found that marked northern lapwing nests were less likely to fail as a result of farming operations than unmarked nests.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated study in 2005-2006 on arable farms in Noordoostpolder and Oostelijk Flevoland, the Netherlands (Kragten et al. 2008) found that marked northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus nests were significantly less likely to fail as a result of farming operations than unmarked nests (0-9% of 1,644 marked nests destroyed vs 15-42% of 229 unmarked nests). However, overall survival rates did not differ significantly (37-73% success for marked nests vs 38-66% for unmarked), with some evidence that marked nests were deserted or predated more often. Nests on the marked farms (121 in 2005, 113 in 2006) were marked with two bamboo poles (1 m high) by 151-171 volunteers, and farmers told of their presence. On the control farms, no markers were put in place and farmers were not informed of the nests.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Kragten S., Nagel J.C. & de Snoo G.R. (2008) The effectiveness of volunteer nest protection on the nest success of northern lapwings Vanellus vanellus on Dutch arable farms. Ibis, 150, 667-673.

Please cite as:

Dicks, L.V., Ashpole, J.E., Dänhardt, J., James, K., Jönsson, A., Randall, N., Showler, D.A., Smith, R.K., Turpie, S., Williams, D.R. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Farmland Conservation. Pages 283-321 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Farmland Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Manage ditches to benefit wildlife Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	11	Synopsis Link
Protect in-field trees (includes management such as pollarding and surgery) Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Provide red squirrel feeders Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link