Urban Tolerance of Nesting Birds in the LA Region

Dan Cooper, PhD

Tue, Sep 13, 2022 8:00 PM

Bird populations, particularly in urban areas, are in constant flux, with some species adapting and thriving, and others declining.

Dr. Cooper will describe two studies he recently conducted as part of his PhD dissertation at UCLA.

Examination of patterns of urban tolerance in nesting raptors of the upper Malibu Creek watershed along the Ventura-Los Angeles County border between Thousand Oaks and Calabasas. Dan found major changes in the distribution of nesting raptors since earlier surveys were conducted in the 1970s and 80s, with certain species becoming very urban-tolerant, and others not.
Investigated the role of ecological and behavioral traits that may be accounting for distributional shifts in more than 50 species of nesting birds in the Los Angeles area, using two datasets separated by over 20 years.

Dr. Cooper will discuss trends in species distribution and abundance, explore traits that appear to confer success in urban areas, and offer predictions as to which species—or types of species—will continue to thrive in urban and urbanizing southern California. Dan will also discuss species that declined during this time period and offer suggestions for their conservation.

Please join us as Dr. Dan Cooper guides us through understanding how birds tolerate, or don’t tolerate, urban areas.

Here is a video of the webinar: