Artificial bird perches with supplementary feeding as a tool for ecological restoration

Abstract

Bird perches have been tested extensively internationally as a tool to increase seed rain and seedling recruitment to aid restoration in degraded habitats. Research to date has shown perches to be of limited efficacy as a stand-alone method, due to other interacting biotic and abiotic limitations, such as seed predation and competition with pasture grasses. Significant knowledge gaps remain surrounding the effectiveness of bird perches and the potential to mitigate factors limiting their success. We set out to answer the question: can artificial bird perches with supplementary feeding increase seed rain and seedling recruitment in restoration sites? Parallel experiments were setup at three sites in the South Island (NZ), one trialling bird perches baited with fresh banana and the other quantifying seed predation at the same sites, over a twelve month period ending in May 2015. The perch experiment measured seed rain collected in seed traps and seedling establishment in vegetation plots under perches versus a control. The seed predation experiment compared the number of seeds removed from plastic rings with or without an exclusion cage. Bird perches baited with banana greatly increased seed rain in sites with limited fruit availability. This work forms a starting point to direct future use of bird perches with supplementary feeding in ecological restoration.