Birds prefer to live in luxury than in poor areas, study finds

MAY 31, 2019

by University of Cape Town

A unique study of birdlife in South African cities has found that birds prefer wealthy areas to poorer ones but will move out if things get too cramped. The study was conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Turin, Italy and the Universities of Cape Town (UCT) and the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Their findings were published this week in the international journal of Global Change Biology.

Co-author on the study, UCT Associate Professor Arjun Amar said: "This work is of particular importance because it is one of the few studies conducted in a developing country, and the only study of its kind in Africa, where urbanisation is predicted to occur at a faster rate than any other region on the planet."

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Gulls! Gulls! Gulls! How the seaside birds took over urban Britain

In the last 30 years, gulls have come among us as never before. But is their moment coming to an end as we tackle our waste problem?

Tim Dee

Fri 16 Nov 2018 07.00 GMTLast modified on Fri 16 Nov 2018 09.53 GMT

When was the last day you didn’t see a gull? Throughout Britain we ordinarily cross paths with these birds more often than with any other wild creature. They are hard to avoid. In the last 30 years – the lifespan of a large gull – they have come among us as never before. Though still popularly regarded as seagulls, many have moved inland, far from the seaside or saltwater. They have adapted to life in many places we have made, and they have thrived.

Cities and their hinterlands where we jettison our rubbish now sustain far more gulls than the birds’ former more traditional marine habitats. Indeed, in a paradox that might define the Anthropocene era, surviving coastal birds are now regarded as threatened with local extinction, while the same gull species in urban areas are so prevalent they are thought of as pests.

Almost every human inhabitant of Britain’s cities could watch gulls every day if they wanted to. Urban rooftop nesting gull colonies are now spread throughout the UK. The birds feed among us, on our streets, as well as on our rubbish dumps. Many people are on their guard, however, because, one way or another, they have met the birds before and haven’t necessarily enjoyed the encounter. Gulls are frighteningly big – of a scale that seems out of sorts with their new habitat. They are loud. Their clawed feet stamp about the place. They lift off and fly with skill and menace, suggesting both ancient winged dinosaurs and futuristic drone ops. They seem to have an uncanny knowledge of what is going on and how to turn it to their advantage.

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Climate change and urbanisation blamed for bird numbers fall

AIJAZ HUSSAIN

18:55Thursday 17 December 2015

Climate change and haphazard urban development has been blamed for the dramatic reduction in birds arriving this year in Kashmir’s globally important migration of birds arriving from as far as northern Europe and Japan.

Wildlife experts said they have never seen so few birds – and so few species – feeding and breeding around the wetlands nestled between the region’s mountain peaks and plateaus.

Colourful birds like the whooper swan, stiff-tailed duck and cotton teal have not been seen in the area in recent years. While there has been little scientific study to quantify the falling numbers, former regional wildlife warden Mohammed Shafi Bacha says he counts only 18 species visiting today out of 28 that came three decades ago.

Scientists routinely reject the state’s official count of birds as unreliable, but even those numbers show a downward trend: During the winter of 2009-10, authorities said more than one million birds visited Kashmir’s wetlands. Last year, they counted just over half that number.

“The bird numbers have been fluctuating over the years, but now there is a steady decline,” Mr Bacha said. He called for an “urgent and massive effort to revive these wetland reserves for protecting the birds.”

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Swans in the city are genetically more streetwise, say scientists

Urban swans have genes which allow them to cope with humans coming near, scientists have shown

By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor

1:00AM GMT 11 Dec 2015

City dwellers need a thick skin to put up with the hustle and bustle of metropolitan living, but a new study suggests urban wildlife needs different DNA to cope.

Researchers have shown that swans which thrive in the city are genetically different to those who live in the countryside.

Urban swans appear to have certain genes which allow them to handle the close proximity of humans. In contrast their timid country cousins have a genetic makeup which makes them far more wary, and it could explain why they choose to stay out of town, say experts.

"We often assume that animals become less wary of humans by simply getting used to them, our results suggest that at least part of this response might be genetically determined"

Wouter van Dongen, Victoria University

Scientists in Australia measured the distance that humans could get to 100 birds before they flew away.

They found that, on average urban swans will allow humans to come within 42 feet of them before they become anxious and take to the wing. However rural swans get spooked even when humans are more than 300 feet away. And a glance at their DNA suggests that the difference is genetic.

Lead researcher, Dr Wouter van Dongen, of Victoria University said: “Growing global urbanisation means that wild animals are increasingly settling near to humans.

“Although we often assume that animals become less wary of humans by simply getting used to them, our results suggest that at least part of this response might be genetically determined.

“This has important implications for conservation, particularly for the introduction of animals bred in captivity, which could in future be screened for genotypes that are associated with wariness, allowing them to be released to a location commensurate with their expected wariness.”

It is normally assumed that animals that live in urban areas become less wary of humans through habituation, but until now, no research has been conducted which tests whether animals’ preference for an urban or non-urban environment might be genetically determined.

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In an urban environment, not all vultures are created equal

Date:October 21, 2015

Source:Central Ornithology Publication Office

Not being picky about your food means you can live just about anywhere, and some vultures are good at adapting to landscape fragmentation caused by humans, but new research forthcoming in The Condor: Ornithological Applications shows that different vulture species use city environments in different ways. 

The city of Manaus, Brazil, is home to two species--the gregarious Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) and the shyer, more solitary Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)--and their presence has lead to a variety of problems, from the nuisance that results from vultures congregating around dumpsters to the serious hazard of bird-aircraft collisions. To learn more about how these two vultures navigate the urban landscape and to help manage potential human-vulture conflicts, Weber Novaes and Renato Cintra of Brazil's Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia made repeated visits to 80 sites around the city to record how many vultures were present, which type they were, and what might be attracting them.

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Whither our feathered friends? Concrete jungle pushing out Lahore’s birds

LAHORE: As Lahore’s green cover slowly gives way to concrete structures and urban development, the city’s birds must find a place to go. And though there have been no surveys on the migration pattern or population of birds in Lahore, Dr Uzma Khan of the WWF-Pakistan, says it doesn’t take much to notice that Lahore’s ecosystem has suffered badly over the past decade. 

Khan, director of biodiversity at the WWF, says the last survey of the ecosystem was conducted when the government cut trees along the Lahore Canal to widen the road. “The ecosystem changes with increasing urbanisation and yet there has been no assessment of bird migration in the city.”

The old endemic trees of the city’s gardens, once a popular haunt of fruit bats and several resident bird species and many summer, winter and transit migrants, are now limited to a few sites including Lawrence Garden and the Punjab University’s New Campus, she says.

On the other hand, the population of scavenger birds, including mynahs, crows and kites, is on the rise. The birds live off human waste and sometimes feed on the young of smaller birds. “This, too, creates an imbalance in the ecosystem.”

She says Lahore was once home to several species that feed on fruit – including the grey hornbill, green pigeons, woodpeckers, barbets and parakeets. “Now you can rarely spot them.” The Indian roller and kingfisher birds can be spotted in former agricultural, recently urbanised, areas, she says. “Piling on concrete in such areas cannot bode well for the birds.”

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Urbanisation takes birds away from tricity

Aishwarya S Iyer, SAS Nagar| 

Updated: Jul 08, 2015 15:29 IST

Rampant urbanisation on the periphery of Chandigarh has resulted in various species of birds fleeing the region. The trend has been witnessed for years across the world, but this relatively newly urbanised region that once had lush green fields and trees, is now a concrete jungle with no space for the winged creatures. 

“Kharar used to have small patches of forests which have been axed to pave the way for the construction of buildings and complexes. Nowadays I see no bird at all,” says Kamaldeep Singh Tiwana, 36, who has lived in Kharar since his birth. There used to be doves and peacocks, even honeybees, butterflies, which have disappeared. We get to see birds only when we go to Kasauli and other hill stations, said Tiwana.

According to Harinder Pal Singh Jolly, vice-president, municipal council, Kharar, nothing much can be done about it. “Population is increasing so people need houses to stay. Thus urbanisation is inevitable. It is accompanied by pollution caused by vehicles. I have lived here for 12 years and witnessed 30-40% of the open land being urbanised,”Jolly added.

Zirakpur residents too are concerned over the loss of birds. Shama Sharma, 50, of Zirakpur said, “There was a time when we used to come across so many birds but now only pigeons are visible, that too rarely. There is no site of sparrows or peacocks in the region. I miss them. I am residing here for the last eight years, and have been watching rampant urbanisation of the city.”

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Where have all the birds disappeared?

14th September 2014

Rapid urbanisation taking a toll on resident and migratory bird population.

Rapid urbanisation of Mysore and the expansion of the city is taking a toll on the resident and the migratory bird population, some of which are no longer sighted in the region.

Coupled with encroachment of lakes and tanks and their gradual destruction, the bird population threatens to plummet further. Mysore plays host to nearly 180 to 200 species of birds – both resident and migratory – and some of the lakes like Lingambudi, Kukkarahalli and Karanji are recognised as important bird areas (IBA) which are significant from the conservation point of view.

However, there has been a systematic destruction of bird habitats with a human-centric approach to the development of lakes. “Lingambudhi Lake was one of the best habitats for both resident and migratory birds more than 10 years ago. But over the years, the habitat is losing its sheen for the birds,” C.S. Kulashekara, an amateur ornithologist with a passion for photographing birds.

“The lake is filled with sewage and though there are good rains and inflow into the water body this year, the relief will be temporary. In addition, civil work at Lingambudhi and Kukkarahalli disturbs the birds,” he added.

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Jurong Bird Park raises awareness on shrinking native bird population

The population of rare native birds in Singapore is shrinking due to urbanisation and diminishing habitats. To raise awareness on how the public can help to protect them, the Jurong Bird Park has organised its very first Native Birds' Day on November 23 and 24.

SINGAPORE: The population of rare native birds in Singapore is shrinking due to urbanisation and diminishing habitats.

To raise awareness on how the public can help to protect them, the Jurong Bird Park has organised its very first Native Birds' Day on November 23 and 24.

The Bali Mynah, which is endemic to Bali, is among the rarest birds in Singapore. Another rare bird is the Oriental Pied Hornbill - with fewer than 100 left in Singapore.

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City birds adapt to their new predators

When a bird is faced with a predator, its only objective is to escape. However, city birds do not react in the same way as their countryside counterparts, despite being from the same species. Urbanisation plays an influential role in their survival strategies. 

To study this phenomenon, Juan Diego Ibáñez-Álamo, researcher at the University of Granada (UGR) and Anders Pape Møller from Paris-Sud University (France) analysed the escape techniques of 1,132 birds belonging to 15 species in different rural and urban areas. 

Published in the Animal Behaviour journal, the results show that city birds have changed their behaviour to adapt to new threats like cats (their main predator in the city) instead of their more traditional enemies in the countryside, such as the sparrow hawk. "When they are captured, city birds are less aggressive, they produce alarm calls more frequently, they remain more paralysed when attacked by their predator and they loose more feathers than their countryside counterparts," as explained to SINC by Juan Diego Ibáñez-Álamo. The surprising thing is that urbanisation is directly linked with these differences, which become more acute the earlier the former has taken place. This suggests that escape strategies evolve alongside the expansion of cities; a concept that is on the increase worldwide.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-11-city-birds-predators.html#jCp