Urban ecology has become an increasingly active research field as ecologists have found that cities support higher biodiversity than their artificiality suggests. The pressures that make cities hostile to some species create opportunities for others, and the adaptations that allow wildlife to thrive in urban environments are among the most interesting in contemporary natural history.
The Adaptations of Urban Animals
Urban foxes demonstrate adaptations that distinguish them measurably from their rural counterparts: smaller home ranges, higher population densities, and different behavioral patterns including reduced wariness of humans and altered timing of activity. Research has documented morphological differences beginning to emerge between urban and rural fox populations within remarkably few generations.
Urban birds similarly show behavioral and even vocal adaptations. Urban great tits in several European cities have shifted their songs to higher frequencies that stand out against the low-frequency noise of traffic. Corvids, crows and ravens, show remarkable problem-solving abilities in urban contexts and are among the most cognitively sophisticated urban wildlife species.
Where to Find It
The wildlife richest urban environments are the edges: the boundaries between built environments and green spaces, the margins of urban rivers and canals, and the managed wild areas within parks. Dawn and dusk are the most productive observation times for mammals, which largely avoid human activity during peak periods.
Urban green corridors, the connected chains of parks, street trees, and green spaces that allow species movement through cities, determine urban biodiversity as much as any single green space. Cities with well-connected green infrastructure support significantly richer wildlife communities than those with isolated parks surrounded by impermeable development.
