Evolution in an Urbanizing World
One of the last things many people expect to see at 2:13 pm is a rat in a tree! Popular belief holds that rodents are nocturnal, but as we see here with this Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus), they can and will be active during daylight hours. Brought to the United States by European ships, the... Continue Reading →
Check out this Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) sauntering about the busy streets of Leicester! https://twitter.com/Hannam79/status/1602660747997216770 This species of swan is native to most of Europe and has been introduced to the eastern United States. They reside in various aquatic ecosystems, including urban lakes and ponds. However, as this tweet's author stated, they don't often take... Continue Reading →
Check out this fun-loving gull and its new toy! https://twitter.com/GarethUnwin85/status/1597610347212734464 This gull seen last week at Queen's Park in Brighton, UK, seems to have been enjoying a game of tennis! Gulls species are notoriously difficult to differentiate. There are more than 50 species of gulls, the majority being part of the genus Larus. If observing... Continue Reading →
Check out these dueling kangaroos in a park in Australia's Gold Coast region! New Yorkers are used to seeing squirrels and rats roam around, but Australian residents sometimes encounter much larger mammal species in their cities. There are four species of kangaroos that occupy different ranges across the Australian continent. The Red Kangaroo, Macropus rufus, is... Continue Reading →
While I was out birding on Governor's Island, My friends and I came across this old traffic cone. It stood out to me as a sore thumb, a bright red monolith in a lawn of green grass. My curiosity led me to peek inside, and lo and behold! There was a Common House Spider (Parasteatoda... Continue Reading →
Check out this Great Blue Heron's fun new perch! Kate spotted a heron sitting very comfortably on a discarded deck chair in Surrey, BC. Based on the condition of that chair, looks like lots of individuals have been utilizing this transplant toilet! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something... Continue Reading →
Check out this Red-Tailed Hawk going dumpster diving in Morningside Park on Wednesday. This resourceful hawk didn't hesitate to dive in and search for an afternoon snack, along with a shopping receipt! The hawk appeared very comfortable hopping in and out of the trashcan without injuring its wings. Perhaps this is a new behavior to... Continue Reading →
Urban trees support diverse wildlife, as Jamaican biologist and naturalist Damany Calder pointed out in Instagram this week with his observation of the Yellow-Billed Parrot (Amazona collaria), endemic to Jamaica and vulnerable to extinction, in a Black Olive tree (Terminalia buceras) in the middle of a busy parking lot of a shopping center in Kingston!... Continue Reading →
Where there are humans, there is food... delicious calorie rich food. And so much of it, well, it can keep a bear from hibernating! We've told you about wildlife and anthropogenic food before (check out: Raccoon Eats Your Bird Food, Juggling a Junk Food Diet, Eggroll Squirrel, and of course - Pizza Rat), and taking advantage... Continue Reading →
The European Starling Sturnus vulgaris Ever had such a fondness for an author, that you wanted to recreate what they wrote, in real life? That’s exactly what Eugene Schieffelin did with the European Starling in Central Park, NYC, when he decided to introduce as many of the birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s works to North America... Continue Reading →
Monk parakeets Myiopsitta monachus Sometimes referred to as the Quaker parrot due to their quaking vocalizations, the monk parakeet is a small, green parrot with grey breast and head feathers accented with blue feathers on their primaries. In addition to their unique color, these birds can often be picked out by their noisy/screechy vocalizations.... Continue Reading →
This new feature on the blog will focus on urban introduced species across the globe, giving brief histories of where they came from, how they got where they are now & more on their ecology and evolution. The Gold Dust Day Gecko Phelsuma laticauda Best known for the starring role as the “Geico” gecko, the... Continue Reading →
As we move from a city's core to its outskirts, there seems to be a shift in the kinds of flora and fauna that we can capture with our cameras. Last week we showed flowers in the city center. This week, we move to the outskirts where a photographer was able to capture this image... Continue Reading →
Last week we brought you many plants found in the streets of Zurich. Plants can find ways to flourish in cities, with just enough space in the pavement cracks to grow. This week, bellflowers have been spotted in Munich. Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about... Continue Reading →
Often when we see plants in the city they fall into one of two categories, weed or decorative. It is rare that we find plants that haven't been purposefully planted that aren't weeds. Here are some of the natural flora found in the city streets of Zurich. Do you have a photo or video... Continue Reading →
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