Habitat associations of farmland birds across the east baltic region

The general structure of farmland bird communities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was explored based on the large-scale survey in 2002. Input of major farmed habitats to the species richness and abundance of all bird species and groups of farmland specialist and declining species, as well as the abundance of individual farmland species across the region were assessed. The contribution of these to the communities. characteristics and the abundance of a number of farmland species varied across the region. Fewer species were associated with crop fields, especially where farmland was dominated by arable production. There abandoned fields featured as a positive predictor. More species were related to the presence of natural grasslands in the North and seeded grassland in the South of the region. The variation reflected the geographical position and differences in the fragmentation level of farmland, soil types and vegetation development pattern. The results are discussed in relation to agri-environment planning in the region.