Urban Bird Ecology and Conservation (Volume 45) (Studies in Avian Biology)

Now that more than half of the world’s population lives in cities, the study of birds in urban ecosystems has emerged at the forefront of ornithological research. An international team of leading researchers in urban bird ecology and conservation from across Europe and North America presents the state of this diverse field, addressing classic questions while proposing new directions for further study. Areas of particular focus include the processes underlying patterns of species shifts along urban-rural gradients, the demography of urban birds and the role of citizen science, and human-avian interaction in urban areas. This important reference fills a crucial need for scientists, planners, and managers of urban spaces and all those interested in the study and conservation of birds in the world’s expanding metropolises. Content: Beyond the gradient : insights from new work in the avian ecology of urbanizing lands / Paige S. Warren and Christopher A. Lepczyk -- Using gradient analysis to uncover pattern and process in urban bird communities / Derric N. Pennington and Robert B. Blair -- From forests to cities : effects of urbanization on tropical birds / Ian MacGregor-Fors, Lorena Morales-Pérez, and Jorge E. Schondube -- Does nest predation shape urban bird communities? / Christine M. Stracey and Scott K. Robinson -- Evaluating factors that influence avian community response to urbanization / Amanda D. Rodewald -- Impacts of seasonal small-scale urbanization on nest predation and bird assemblages at tourist destinations / Marja-Liisa Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki [and others] -- The use of citizen volunteers in urban bird research / Timothy L. Vargo [and others] -- Painted bunting conservation : traditional monitoring meets citizen science / James A. Rotenberg [and others] -- A new approach to urban bird monitoring : the Tucson bird count / Rachel E. McCaffrey, Will R. Turner, and Amanda J. Borens -- Distribution and habitat of greater roadrunners in urban and suburban Arizona / Stephen DeStefano and Charlene M. Webster -- Edges, trails, and reproductive performance of spotted towhees in urban greenspaces / Sarah Bartos Smith [and others] -- Post-fledgling mobility in an urban landscape / Kara Whitaker and John M. Marzluff -- Avian conservation in urban environments : what do ecologists bring to the table? / James R. Miller -- How biologists can involve developers, planners, and policymakers in urban avian conservation / Mark Hostetler -- Predicting avian community responses to increasing urbanization / Jeffrey Hepinstall-Cymerman. John M. Marzluff, and Marina Alberti -- Interactions between people and birds in urban landscapes / Richard A. Fuller [and others] -- Who feeds the birds? : a comparison across regions / Christopher A. Lepczyk [and others] -- Urban evolutionary ecology / John M. Marzluff. Cover 2 URBAN BIRD ECOLOGY and CONSERVATION 3 STUDIES IN AVIAN BIOLOGY 4 Title 5 Copyright 6 DEDICATION 7 CONTENTS 9 Contributors 11 Preface 15 1 • BEYOND THE GRADIENT: INSIGHTS FROM NEW WORK IN THE AVIAN ECOLOGY OF URBANIZING LANDS 17 Part I • Mechanisms and Urban-Rural Gradients 23 2 • USING GRADIENT ANALYSIS TO UNCOVER PATTERN AND PROCESS IN URBAN BIRD COMMUNITIES 25 3 • FROM FORES TS TO CITIES: EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION ON TROPICAL BIRDS 49 4 • DOES NEST PREDATION SHAPE URBAN BIRD COMMUNITIES? 65 5 • EVALUATING FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE AVIAN COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO URBANIZATION 87 6 • IMPACTS OF SEASONAL SMALL-SCALE URBANIZATION ON NEST PREDATION AND BIRD ASSEMBLAGES AT TOURIST DESTINATIONS 109 Part II • Citizen Science and Demography of Urban Birds 127 7 • THE USE OF CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS IN URBAN BIRD RESEARCH 129 8 • PAINTED BUNTING CONSERVATION: TRADITIONAL MONITORING MEETS CITIZEN SCIENCE 141 9 • A NEW APPROACH TO URBAN BIRD MONITORING: THE TUCSON BIRD COUNT 155 10 • DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT OF GREATER ROADRUNNERS IN URBAN AND SUBURBAN ARIZONA 171 11 • EDGES, TRAILS, AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF SPOTTED TOWHEES IN URBAN GREENSPACES 183 12 • POST-FLEDGING MOBILITY IN AN URBAN LANDSCAPE 199 Part III • Human-Avian Interactions and Planning 215 13 • AVIAN CONSERVATION IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS: WHAT DO ECOLOGISTS BRING TO THE TABLE? 217 14 • HOW BIOLOGISTS CAN INVOLVE DEVELOPERS, PLANNERS, AND POLICYMAKERS IN URBAN AVIAN CONSERVATION 231 15 • PREDICTING AVIAN COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO INCREASING URBANIZATION 239 16 • INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND BIRDS IN URBAN LANDSCAPES 267 17 • WHO FEEDS THE BIRDS? A COMPARISON ACROSS REGIONS 285 Part IV • Future Directions 303 18 • URBAN EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY 305 Index 359 Complete Series List 375 Online Content 10 SPECIAL TOPIC A • DOES HABITAT HETEROGENEITY AFFECT BIRD COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN URBAN PARKS? 327 SPECIAL TOPIC B • HOME RANGE AND HABITAT USE OF COOPER’S HAWKS IN URBAN AND NATURAL AREAS 343 Birds in urban ecosystems are now at the forefront of ornithological research. An international team of leading researchers in urban bird ecology and conservation report on findings from Europe, the United States, and Mexico