link to open access paper https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2688-8319.70259
Peatlands in Europe have been used for hundreds of years in the form of low-intensity agriculture, forestry and peat cutting (Joosten et al., 2017). Many species characteristic of mires (i.e. intact, peat forming peatlands) evolved alongside low-intensity agricultural practices such as grazing and mowing which occurred without fertilization and with minimal to no drainage (Joosten et al., 2017; Silva-Monteiro et al., 2021). Because agriculture now dominates a large extent of the landscape, most birds that breed or winter in open habitats like peatlands now utilize agricultural fields at least partially, and thus many peatland species can also be broadly considered agricultural species (Newton, 2004).
Modern-day intensive agriculture and peatland drainage are contributing to a rapid decline amongst agricultural species (Rigal et al., 2023). In particular, the use of pesticides and fertilizers has been identified as the biggest cause of bird decline in Europe, which has been particularly impactful for insectivorous species (Donald et al., 2002; Rigal et al., 2023). Peatland drainage dries out the topsoil layer reducing prey accessibility, and clutch mortality of ground nesting birds has risen due to mowing during the breeding season (Newton, 2004; Silva-Monteiro et al., 2021). Herbicide use reduces seed production, plant diversity and therefore also arthropod diversity, reducing food availability for birds (Newton, 2004). The use of fertilizer, seeding and frequent mowing has changed grasslands from structurally and species diverse areas to fields dominated by dense, fast-growing species, with reduced tussock forming species that provide structure for ground nesting bird species (Newton, 2004; Vickery et al., 2001). At a landscape level, a shift to monocultures has resulted in the decline of species that rely on a mix of habitat to provide multiple food sources (Newton, 2004).
Solar parks have emerged as a new form of land use and studies have shown mixed results, including reduced species richness compared to grazed grassland (Visser et al., 2019), and greater species richness compared to arable farmland (Copping et al., 2025), or compared to both arable farmland and grassland (Jarčuška et al., 2024; Montag et al., 2016). The response of birds to the solar park may depend on site management, such as whether parks are designed with biodiversity in mind, for example by including hedges, wildflower meadows, etc. (Copping et al., 2025). Studies have demonstrated that solar parks can provide habitat for species in an otherwise homogenous and habitat-depleted landscape, such as those dominated by high-intensity agriculture (Copping et al., 2025).
In this study, we assessed the species diversity of birds using bioacoustics. A space-for-time substitution was used, and therefore, one solar park site was compared with two adjacent intensively managed grassland sites on drained peat soil, which are representative of the former land use.