Abstract

The flight initiation distance (FID) defines how close a bird will allow an approaching human. FIDs within species are often lower in urban areas than in the countryside. Processes responsible for this behavioural difference have yet to be fully elucidated but habituation may be involved. This article re-examines data from an earlier, four-year study of seasonal changes in FID for the Common Blackbird Turdus merula in an area of low-density housing. The results indicated that habituation occurred because of the persistent and regular experience of being recorded, with FID decreasing to resemble that of urban birds by the end of the study.