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City Lifestyles: Behavioral Ecology of Urban Raptors

  • Chapter
Urban Raptors

Abstract

If there is a single unifying characteristic of urban/suburban wildlife species, it is likely adaptability. Species that can occupy urban areas are behaviorally flexible,1,2 and this flexibility drives changes in the way they use urban space and cohabit with people. Raptors too exhibit behavioral changes when they move from rural to urban environs.3 Inherent plasticity allows some raptors to adjust their behavior to survive in circumstances that may differ greatly from those of more typical, rural, or natural areas. For example, they may move into urban environments that are suitable for them,4,5 or they may persist by tolerating human activity in a natural area that has been overwhelmed by suburbia. They may perceive human-made objects such as rooftops, utility towers, billboards, and bridges as potential nest sites,3,6,7,8 especially in areas where nest sites in traditional, natural locations are limited. Additionally, they may take advantage of a different prey type that is present, such as rats (Rattus spp.),9,10 or a typical prey type that is more abundant or available (e.g., birds at feeders).5,11

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  1. Cheryl R. Dykstra
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  1. Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, 15th and Boston, 79409-2120, Lubbock, TX, USA

    Clint W. Boal

  2. Susan Springs Dr 7280, 45069-3696, West Chester, OH, USA

    Cheryl R. Dykstra

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Dykstra, C.R. (2018). City Lifestyles: Behavioral Ecology of Urban Raptors. In: Boal, C.W., Dykstra, C.R. (eds) Urban Raptors. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-841-1_2

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