This week's observation is New York City's newest mascot, egg roll squirrel. Pizza rat is so last week. NYC strikes again with wildlife enjoying anthropogenic food. And if you can't get enough squirrels check out our previous posts on squirrel behavior here and here. Do you have a photo or video of an urban... Continue Reading →
City Gulls of Spain
One thing I always wonder when I see birds flying around cities is "where are they nesting???" Fortunately, the Audubon Society has an answer for that question - many birds nest in and on buildings and other anthropogenic structures. For example: Chimney swifts nest inside of chimneys Cliff swallows build mud nests on the sides... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Pizza Rat
We are starting a new post type here, weekly urban observations. To kick this off, here is the classic pizza rat! New York City has lots of urban wildlife that seem to really do well with humans. We've discussed rats previously on our blog, along with how urbanization might influence the diets of Darwin's Finches... Continue Reading →
SICB 2019: Urban Gulls Alter FID and Flight Behaviors
Urbanization is a global form of habitat change that alters native habits and either excludes the animals that live there or forces them to acclimate to novel environments. Altering behavioral strategies can allow individuals to quickly acclimate and successfully colonize urban habitats, reproduce and live within them. In two studies presented at SICB, researchers, Dr.... Continue Reading →
SICB 2019: Artificial Light at Night Has Various Effects on Wildlife
Have you ever stopped to look at the city lights at night? Have you ever wondered what impact these lights have on wildlife? Chris Thawley, Zach Forsburg, and Krystie Miner all asked this question in their research on artificial light at night, or ALAN. After exploring how ALAN, affected anoles in a laboratory setting,... Continue Reading →
The Future of Darwin’s Finches with Intensifying Urbanization
Darwin's finches in the Galapagos are the poster children of adaptive radiation. These birds have formed many species that differ in their beaks. The size and shape of beaks make them uniquely suited to take advantage of different food resources. Hard big beaks are great for eating large hard seeds, small beaks for small seeds.... Continue Reading →
City Trails of Urban Snails
Urban life is often described as a fast-paced and frantic thing. But one of my favourite study species, the urban snail, is the living proof you can take your time and still enjoy what your city has to offer. I have been studying the brown garden snail Cornu aspersum, specifically its dispersal behaviour, since my... Continue Reading →
People Watching: the study of urban wildlife is a two-way street
My eyes are instinctively drawn to a black, blue, and snow white flurry of movement. A reflex hammer to my naturalist’s knee. The subject of my fascination springs a brisk two-footed hop-scotch, just ahead along a ribbon of green separating parking lot from bustling sidewalk in downtown Calgary. The throng of oncoming foot-traffic ignore the... Continue Reading →
Why Did the Squirrel Cross the Road?
In cities the number and types of predators drastically differ from nearby rural and "natural" areas. This often means that the biggest threat prey species have to face in cities are domestic predators (dogs and cats) or generalist "mesopredators" like raccoons, coyotes, or foxes. That is, unless you consider the threat from humans, and in... Continue Reading →
It’s Lit in the City
Night life in the city can be much brighter and artificial lighting can be a significant source of new evolutionary directions for city dwellers. A recent study by Hopkins et al. (2018) researchers reviewed how Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) can drive evolutionary change in a theoretical population. How can artificial light at night (ALAN) drive evolution?... Continue Reading →