A SURVEY has revealed there are not only North-South inequalities between humans -but also between birds.

Our feathered friends are enjoying a better quality of life in the North than their cousins living and visiting south of Watford Gap.

Latest Government figures show that between 1994 and 2004, native wild bird populations in the North increased by 15 per cent, above the national rate.

Scores of individual species surveyed show an increase of ten per cent or more.

Farmland bird populations in the North rose by seven per cent, also beating the national trend, which has seen a slight decrease. Goldfinch, stock dove and tree sparrow did well.

Great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch and visiting chiffchaff numbers were up by six per cent, again beating the national trend, which had shown a slight fall.

The increase in wild bird populations in the North builds on earlier increases. Indications are that populations increased by 14 per cent between 1970 and 1994.

Since August, more than 730 farmers in the North have entered agreements that pays them to create habitats for wildlife.

Environment Minister Elliot Morley said: "The reasons for changes in the size of bird populations or variations between different parts of the country are not clear-cut, and not always simple to explain."