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Automated, Quantitative Cognitive/Behavioral Screening of Mice: For Genetics, Pharmacology, Animal Cognition and Undergraduate Instruction

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Urban gulls adapt foraging schedule to human-activity patterns.

Anouk Spelt¹, Oliver Soutar², Cara Williamson¹

¹Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK.

The Ibis

|December 21, 2020

Summary

Urban gulls exhibit remarkable behavioral flexibility, adapting their foraging schedules to human activity patterns like school breaks and waste center operations. This adaptability may be key to their success in urban environments.

Keywords:

GPS anthropogenic food sources behaviour observations temporal patterns urban ecology

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Animal Behavior
Urban Ecology

Background:

Animals often adapt foraging to natural food cycles.
Adaptation to human-driven cycles in urban environments is less understood.
Urban wildlife, like gulls, face novel anthropogenic pressures.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate urban gull foraging adaptations to human activity schedules.
To determine if gulls adjust feeding times based on anthropogenic food availability.
To assess behavioral plasticity in urban-dwelling gull populations.

Main Methods:

Field observations at urban feeding sites (park, school, waste center).
Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking of urban gulls.
Correlation analysis of gull activity with human schedules and natural food availability.

Main Results:

Gull foraging closely aligned with school break times.
Gull activity at waste centers matched opening and closing hours.
Foraging in parks correlated with natural food availability, not human schedules.

Conclusions:

Urban gulls demonstrate significant behavioral flexibility in foraging.
Gulls can adapt their feeding times to human schedules when advantageous.
This adaptability likely facilitates their survival and thriving in urban ecosystems.