Researchers at Britain's University of Exeter and Northern Ireland's Queen's University provided some birds with extra food, such as peanuts, and left others to fend for themselves during the winter. When comparing productivity between the two groups, the researchers found those given extra food laid eggs earlier and, although they produced the same number of chicks, an average of one more per clutch successfully fledged.

Although it is well known that garden feeding helps many birds survive the winter, the scientists said their study is the first to link winter feeding with spring breeding productivity.

"While this research shows how the extra food we provide in winter helps the birds that take it, it is still unclear whether this has a (similar) effect on other species," said Stuart Bearhop of the University of Exeter, corresponding author of the research. "This is something we are keen to investigate, but in the meantime I will certainly be putting out food for garden birds for the rest of the winter."

The study appears in the in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

--
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
All rights reserved
--