Birds and bats using buildings as a place of breeding or shelter

Abstract

: Birds and bats using buildings as a place of breeding or shelter. The presence of birds and bats was analysed in buildings intended for thermal refurbishment. Study material was collected in the years 2012–2016 in 336 buildings from 11 voivodships. For detailed analyses concerning birds, data from three voivodships were selected: Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Ł ódzkie and Mazowieckie. To determine differences in the location of bat roosts, buildings from all voivodships were compared. Bird nesting places and daytime bat roosts were divided into 22 locations. Regional differences in the occupation of buildings were analysed. For comparison, the analysed buildings were divided into churches, tenements, public buildings, and residential blocks. Buildings used by birds were also compared with respect to the degree of urbanization of their surroundings. Mazowieckie and Ł ódzkie. Birds in Kujawsko--Pomorskie Voivodship most often built their nests under roofs and birds from Voivodships Mazowieckie and Ł ódzkie in fl at roof spaces. A total of 31 bat roosts were located in 30 buildings in 5 different locations. Bats most often occupied fl at roof spaces and attics and least often occupied crevices behind the gutter.