The vertical use of a city park by urban birds in Poland

Abstract

The exploitation of a city park (total 20.5 ha) surrounding the Old city of Cracow in Poland was analyzed by dividing the vertical dimension of the park into six different zones and observing the activity of urban birds at separate stations . The data were obtained from five censuses and additional checks in the prenesting period, mainly March-April 1980 and 1986. The ground and lower height zones were chiefly used by granivorous and omnivorous Feral Pigeons Columba livia domestica and Rooks Corvus frugilegus, fed by humans, and by House Sparrows Passer domesticus . The higher zones were used by insectivorous species. No difference was found in the density of birds between the early and late prenesting periods (March-early May).