Evolution in an Urbanizing World
Wow, last month dolphins were spotted swimming in the Bronx River for the first time in over five years! Check out the video tweeted by NYC Parks below. https://twitter.com/NYCParks/status/1616138540672516098 The Bronx River is the only freshwater river in NYC and used to be a thriving, abundantly diverse ecosystem. In the 1840s, the New York Central... Continue Reading →
As this tepid winter sweeps through NYC, a few careful eyes may spot a peculiar sight lounging in the mid-afternoon sun of our urban park spaces. Turtles, out and about in the middle of December! This Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) was found on December 9, 2022, at 2:06 pm; it was one of nearly... Continue Reading →
While huddled up in a nook on my apartment's rooftop, camera set up and aimed at the skies above, I briefly witnessed a skirmish between a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). I was able to document the interaction above my head with the featured image above. I feel so honored... Continue Reading →
Pigeons are super common in urban areas. We find them so often that it is actually rare for them to get a spot on our observation of the week. But, we couldn't resist this one. This week we bring you bird on the bed. Yes, a pigeon, which are notoriously bad at making nests, made... Continue Reading →
New York City is the largest city in the United States. It has concrete, sky-high buildings, insane traffic, and yet it is home to a variety of birds and birders. Today, we bring you a red-tailed hawk, identified by Jeff Ward, in the Harlem back yard of Jacqui Farmer. Do you have a photo or... 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 →
Lizards are becoming increasingly common in urban areas. They are able to forage longer than usual because of the urban heat island effect. Today's observation is a lizard still out and about, back in late October, when they should have already wrapped up the season! Do you have a photo or video of an urban... Continue Reading →
The birders are back! This time, we see a Black-throated Green Warbler on the street. These birds are seen in the Northern American forests in the warm months and fly south for the winter months. This little bird is probably a tourist on the street on its migration south! Do you have a photo or... Continue Reading →
If you enjoyed last week's urban birder observation, you'll probably get a kick out of this week's. Here we have a Peregrine Falcon just hanging out on a rusty vent! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised... Continue Reading →
Once on the brink of extinction, thanks to conservation efforts the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) has made a comeback. This predator can be found across North America to Northern Mexico and once had an estimated population size of 300,000-500,000. However, the use of DDT disrupted the bird's ability to metabolize calcium and resulted in birds... Continue Reading →
This week we are cross-posting from the Ecology & Evolution blog written by Dr. Emily Puckett and Elizabeth Carlen. Check out the original post here. Observations of numerous animal populations have documented morphometric changes in response to urbanization. Examples abound including: urban populations of anole lizards have longer limbs and more toe lamellae that aid in moving... Continue Reading →
Thanks to the collective efforts of urban birders, we have been able to bring a suite of urban observations of birds. Here is the majestic bald eagle, hanging out in a tree in the East River Park of Manhattan, NY. Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What... Continue Reading →
Here we go again NYC, urban birds! I am always amazed at how many of our observations come from NYC. Before this blog, I had thought that such a large city would only support pests, like pizza rat. Here's a pair of hawks nesting near a clock tower in Marcus Garvey Park (Harlem). A special... Continue Reading →
As the largest city in the United States, New York City seems to be full of all sorts of urban wildlife! This week, we bring you the smoking cockroach. If your pesticides won't kill it, neither will smoking cigarettes. Urban birds are known to incorporate cigarette butts into their nests, which may function as... Continue Reading →
The field of urban evolution is relatively young, but researchers have been fascinated by animal movement through cities for quite some time. Recently, I was perusing the archives of the Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society and came across a note by Sidney Hessel detailing the movements of monarch butterflies through Manhattan. He observed 82 monarchs... Continue Reading →
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