High nature value farmland increases taxonomic diversity, functional richness and evolutionary uniqueness of bird communities

Bird species richness and functional richness were higher in HNV than in non-HNV farmland. HNV farmland supported bird communities 27% more unique in terms of phylogenetic diversity than non-HNV farmland. A combination of land cover composition (land use coverage) and configuration (spatial arrangement of patches) differentially affects each component of bird diversity. Variation in species richness was explained by land use composition (31%) and shared contribution between land use composition and landscape metrics (13%). The functional diversity of bird communities was little explained by changes in land cover of farmland (less than 14%). As a conclusion, I highlight that HNV farmland needs to be protected because it supports bird communities characterized by high overall bird diversity. Conservation planning should pay attention to the relative association of farmland features with each component of bird diversity.