Provide supplementary food for pigeons to increase reproductive success

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

0%
Certainty

21%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Study locations

Key messages

A replicated cross-over study in the UK found no differences in reproductive parameters of European turtle doves Streptopelia turtur between years when food was supplied and those when it was not.

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 cross-over study in 1999-2000 in ten mixed agricultural and natural habitat sites in Norfolk and Suffolk, England (Browne & Aebischer 2002), found that European turtle dove Streptopelia turtur reproductive success, territory size or territory density did not differ between years when supplementary food was provided and control (unfed) years (24 nests studied, daily survival rates of 79-97% for fed nests vs. 85-98 for unfed). However, doves were frequently observed eating the food. The authors argue that the experimental sites were too small (mostly 200-400 ha) to affect the wide-ranging doves.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Browne S.J. & Aebischer N.J. (2002) The effect of supplementary feeding on territory size, territory density and breeding success of the turtle dove Streptopelia turtur: a field experiment. Aspects of Applied Biology, 67, 21-26.

Please cite as:

Williams, D.R., Child, M.F., Dicks, L.V., Ockendon, N., Pople, R.G., Showler, D.A., Walsh, J.C., zu Ermgassen, E.K.H.J. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Bird Conservation. Pages 137-281 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:

Bird Conservation

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