Competition Between Bird Species

Episode: 2

Summary

Learn about the ways that different bird species compete with each other over food and other resources.

I first talk about the concept of the ecological niche, since this is so important to this episode's topic.

Then, I get into the different forms of competition between bird species and present the possible outcomes of that competition. 

Lastly, I briefly touch on the general approaches that scientists take in studying interspecies competition in birds.

Links to Some Things Mentioned in this Episode

• Project FeederWatch
• eBird
• iNaturalist

Research Citations

• Competition among scavenging birds in Peru (Wallace and Temple. 1987. The Auk)
• Red-winged Blackbirds vs. Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Weller and Spatcher. 1965. Special Report)
• Birdfeeder dominance hierarchy among 136 bird species in North America (Miller et al. 2017. Behavioral Ecology)
• Competition among tits in Swedish Winter (Alatalo et al. 1987. Ecology)

Errors and Clarifications

Error - 23:04 min: I say that the second type of competition between species is "exploitation interference". I meant to say exploitation competition. I make this error repeatedly in this section. My apologies!

Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website

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