Evolution in an Urbanizing World
Within cities, the number of trophic levels present in the community can change when animals migrate there. Smaller predators can end up at the top of the trophic chain or a different species, like the domestic cat, becomes the apex predator of the city. How are apex predators like raptors thriving or at least surviving... Continue Reading →
Cities are becoming more and more grey, with less and less living biomass. The consequence is that there is not enough natural nesting material available for the urban birds. These birds adapt to use alternative anthropogenic nesting materials. Examples include synthetic twine, string, and rope or artificial plants made of plastic (Hiemstra et al. 2021).... Continue Reading →
Some fries left on the ground, a half-eaten sandwich, or some breadcrumbs kindly given by someone on a park bench. Pigeons (Columba livia) in the city don’t shy away from eating human-derived foods. Although most pigeons are eager to eat our food scraps, this behaviour has been linked to a likely downside: the urban lifestyle... Continue Reading →
Who would ever have expected to see plovers on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai? The Huangpu River is the "mother river" of Shanghai that flows north throughout Shanghai. It passes some of the most population-dense regions of the city, including Lujiazui and the Bund, and provides green paths on both banks for... Continue Reading →
When I returned to my hometown suburb in Texas, I was greeted by the familiar sight of Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata) hanging out in and around the numerous constructed wetlands that keep my suburb from going underwater. Notably, male Muscovy Ducks are the largest duck in North America! Despite being such a common sight in... 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 →
Age-Related Variability of the Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) Song in Natural and Urban Environments A. E. Bastrikova, S. I. Gashkov, and N. S. Moskvitina Abstract The age-related variability of the frequency and structural–temporal parameters of the advertising song of Ficedula hypoleuca males in natural habitats and the urban environment were analysed. In the natural habitats, the... Continue Reading →
Urbanization processes drive divergence at the major histocompatibility complex in a common waterbird Ewa Pikus, Radosław Włodarczyk, Jan Jedlikowski, Piotr Minias Abstract Urban sprawl is one of the most common landscape alterations occurring worldwide, and there is a growing list of species that are recognised to have adapted to urban life. To be successful, processes... Continue Reading →
Replicated, urban-driven exposure to metallic trace elements in two passerines Marion Chatelain, Arnaud Da Silva, Marta Celej, Eliza Kurek, Ewa Bulska, Michela Corsini & Marta Szulkin Abstract While there are increasing examples of phenotypic and genotypic differences between urban and non-urban populations of plants and animals, few studies identified the mechanisms explaining those dissimilarities. The... 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 →
Cities, defined as large human settlements of the contemporary human population, have been part of the “Old World” landscape for long time, including Europe. However, the current exponential increase of the urbanised landscape is an unprecedented phenomenon, which has an impact at multiple ecological scales. Urbanisation and its derived actions can fragment wildlife populations and... Continue Reading →
Pigeons are one of the most common, iconic birds we see in cities. Did you know that pigeons are prey for larger, predatory birds? We like Red-tailed hawks so much they've been featured as our urban observation multiple times. Here, we see a New York City red-tailed hawk that caught a pigeon for lunch. Do... Continue Reading →
Urban areas are dynamic, heterogeneous habitats that differ dramatically from your traditional “non-urban” habitats. These centers are complex, multi-level habitats that are full of interacting stressors. Additionally, urban habitats are fragmented via impervious surfaces and are subject to noise, chemical, and light pollution alongside human interaction(s). Humans (and their pets) directly and indirectly interact with... Continue Reading →
Heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, are common pollutants in human-affected ecosystems, including cities. These metals can bioaccumulate, or reach high concentrations in exposed organisms, because heavy metals may be stored in some tissues, like fats, and are difficult for organisms to remove from their bodies. High levels of heavy metals have negative impacts... Continue Reading →
When was the last time you cleaned your bird feeder? Bird feeders are a common sight in the city. For many, they represent a chance to view nature from the comfort of their own home, with little else required but to go out each morning to fill the feeder in their pajamas. This gives city... Continue Reading →
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