Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide artificial nesting sites for waders Two replicated studies from the UK and the USA found that waders used artificial islands and nesting sites. The UK study found that sparsely vegetated islands at coastal sites were used more than well vegetated and inland sites.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F486https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F486Mon, 03 Sep 2012 12:00:21 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide artificial nesting sites for ibises and flamingos A study in Turkey found that northern bald ibises Geronticus eremite moved to a site with artificial breeding ledges. A before-and-after study from France and Spain found that large numbers of greater flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus used artificial nesting islands.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F487https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F487Mon, 03 Sep 2012 12:03:36 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide artificial nesting sites for pigeonsTwo replicated studies from the USA and the Netherlands found high use rates and high nesting success of pigeons and doves using artificial nests.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F492https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F492Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:47:27 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide artificial nesting sites for rollers A before-and-after study from Spain found that the use of nest boxes by European rollers Coracias garrulous increased over time and that use varied between habitats. A replicated controlled trial from Spain found no difference in success rates between new and old nest boxes, although birds in old boxes began nesting earlier.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F494https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F494Mon, 03 Sep 2012 17:06:54 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide nesting material for wild birds A replicated study in the UK found that songbirds used feathers provided at a very low rate and nest construction did not appear to be resource limited. A replicated, controlled study from Australia found that four species of egrets used supplementary nesting material provided, preferentially taking material from raised platforms over water compared to plots on dry land.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F501https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F501Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:23:14 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Artificially incubate eggs or warm nests A replicated, controlled trial in the UK found that great tits Parus major were less likely to interrupt their laying sequence if their nest box was heated, although there was no effect on egg or clutch size. A small study in New Zealand found that no kakapo Strigopus habroptilus eggs or chicks died from chilling following the use of nest warmers. Before this a nest had been lost to chilling.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F503https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F503Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:34:31 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Foster eggs or chicks of vultures with wild conspecificsTwo small studies, one a New World vulture and one of an Old World species found that single chicks were successfully adopted by foster conspecifics, although in one case this led to the death of one of the foster parents’ chicks.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F509https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F509Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:34:30 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Foster eggs or chicks of owls with wild conspecifics A replicated study in the USA found high fledging rates for barn owl Tyto alba chicks fostered to wild pairs. A replicated controlled study from Canada found that captive-reared burrowing owl Athene cunicularia chicks fostered to wild nests did not have significantly lower survival or growth rates than wild chicks.    Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F511https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F511Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:57:35 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Foster eggs or chicks of parrots with wild conspecifics A replicated study from Venezuela found that yellow-shouldered Amazon Amazona barbadensis chicks had high fledging rates when fostered to conspecific nests in the wild. A second replicated study from Venezuela found significantly lower poaching rates of yellow-shouldered Amazons Amazona barbadensis when chicks were moved to foster nests closer to a field base.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F515https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F515Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:34:58 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Foster eggs or chicks of waders with wild non-conspecifics (cross-fostering) A replicated and controlled study from the USA found that killdeer Charadrius vociferus eggs incubated and raised by spotted sandpipers Actitis macularia had similar fledging rates to parent-reared birds. A replicated and controlled study from New Zealand found that cross-fostering black stilt Himantopus novasezelandiae chicks to black-winged stilt H. himantopus nests significantly increased nest success, but that cross-fostered chicks had lower success than chicks fostered to conspecifics’ nests.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F517https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F517Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:03:55 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Foster eggs or chicks of cranes with wild non-conspecifics (cross-fostering)Two studies from the USA found low fledging success for cranes fostered to non-conspecifics’ nests.    Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F519https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F519Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:13:19 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Foster eggs or chicks of songbirds with wild non-conspecifics (cross-fostering) A replicated study from the USA found that the survival of cross-fostered yellow warbler Dendroica petechia chicks was lower than previously-published rates for the species, although incubation and nestling periods were very similar. A replicated and controlled study from Norway found that the success of cross-fostering small songbirds varied depending on the species of chick and foster birds. However, only great tits P. major raised by blue tits P. caeruleus had lower pairing success than control birds, whilst blue tits raised by coal tits P. ater had higher recruitment than controls, or those raised by great tits.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F520https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F520Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:37:20 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide supplementary foodA replicated, controlled study from Europe found that overall, gardens with supplementary food did not contain more species than those without. However, there was some evidence that gardens with supplementary food in five countries did contain more species than unfed ones, when countries were analysed separately.   For specific interventions see: provide supplementary foodCollected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F521https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F521Sat, 08 Sep 2012 13:18:10 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide supplementary food for gannets and boobies to increase reproductive success A small controlled study in Australia found that Australasian gannet Morus serrator chicks were significantly heavier if they were supplied with supplementary food, but only in one of two years. Fledging success of fed nests was also higher, but not significantly so. A randomised replicated and controlled study in the Galapagos Islands found that fed female Nazca boobies Sula granti were more likely to produce two-egg clutches if they were fed, and that second eggs were significantly heavier.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F523https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F523Sat, 08 Sep 2012 13:25:20 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide supplementary food for owls to increase reproductive success Two replicated and controlled trials from Europe and the USA found that owls supplied with supplementary food had higher hatching and fledging rates than control pairs. The European study, but not the American, also found that fed pairs laid earlier  and had larger clutches The American study also found that owls were no more likely to colonise nest boxes provided with supplementary food.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F533https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F533Sun, 09 Sep 2012 19:15:10 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide supplementary food for wildfowl to increase adult survival Two studies from Canada and Northern Ireland found that five species of wildfowl readily consumed supplementary food (grains and seeds). Only the Canadian study assessed the physiological effects of feeding, and found that fed birds were heavier and had larger hearts or flight muscles or had more body fat than controls  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F542https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F542Sun, 16 Sep 2012 08:47:27 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide supplementary food for raptors to increase adult survivalTwo randomised, replicated and controlled studies in the USA found that nesting northern goshawks Accipiter gentilis were significantly heavier in territories supplied with supplementary food, compared with those from unfed territories.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F546https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F546Sun, 16 Sep 2012 09:12:47 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide supplementary food for cranes to increase adult survivalA before-and-after study from Japan and a global literature review found that local crane populations increased after the provision of supplementary food.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F547https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F547Sun, 16 Sep 2012 09:19:25 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Place feeders close to windows to reduce collisionsA randomised, replicated and controlled experiment in the USA found that placing bird feeders close to windows reduced the number of collisions with the windows and the number of fatal collisions.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F557https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F557Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:13:35 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Provide supplementary water to increase survival or reproductive successA controlled study in Morocco found that water supplemented northern bald ibis Geronticus eremite pairs had significantly higher reproductive success than those far from water sources.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F558https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F558Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:16:43 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Translocate individualsA review of 239 bird translocation programmes found 63–67% resulted in establishment of self-sustaining populations.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F566https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F566Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:46:30 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Translocate megapodesA replicated study from Indonesia found that up to 78% of maleo Macrocephalon maleo eggs hatched after translocation, with higher success if eggs were reburied as they were found. There was only anecdotal evidence that the translocations increased local populations.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F567https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F567Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:49:00 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Translocate auksA replicated study in the USA and Canada found that 20% of 774 translocated Atlantic puffins Fratercula arctica remained in or near the release site, with up to 7% breeding.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F570https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F570Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:02:20 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Translocate herons, storks and ibisesA before-and-after study in the USA found that a colony of black-crowned night herons Nycticorax nycticorax was successfully moved, with the new colony producing chicks the year after translocation.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F575https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F575Sun, 30 Sep 2012 14:25:50 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Alter habitat to encourage birds to leave an areaA single before-and-after study in the USA found that an entire Caspian tern Sterna caspia population moved following (amongst other interventions) the alteration of nesting habitat at the old colony site.  Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F587https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F587Sat, 06 Oct 2012 22:42:09 +0100
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What Works in Conservation

What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

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