Lower in the Pecking Order?

Seventeen million UK households spend a total of £250m per year on 150,000 tonnes of bird food. Feeding birds is a popular activity here and human-provided food can account for 75% of the daily intake for some species. Alexander C. Lees (Manchester Metropolitan University) points out, however, that feeders can actually disadvantage some bird species (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/25/feeding-birds-garden-boost-dominant-species). Lees notes that dominant species, such as Great tits, Blue tits, Nuthatches and Great-spotted woodpeckers have never had it so good. They are never far from a well-stocked feeder. Subordinate woodland species e.g. Marsh tits, Willow tits, Lesser-spotted woodpeckers, as well as some migratory flycatchers and warblers, are, however, declining. The declining species may be disadvantaged by the increased numbers of the dominant species following the use of feeders. Declining bird species often appear to have to work harder to find viable niches in woodland habitats. Increasing the numbers of dominant competitors doesn't help.