British birds evolve bigger beaks to use garden feeders

Researchers say UK's enthusiasm for bird feeders compared with mainland Europe responsible for increase in beak length

The reason some birds in Britain have evolved bigger beaks over the past 40 years may be down to the country's enthusiasm for feeding them in their gardens, researchers have said.

The report published on Thursday in the US journal Science compared beak length among great tits in Britain and the Netherlands, where bird feeders are less common.