The Univerity of Sydney invites citizens to take part in their latest Citizen Science project, Big City Birds, running on the SPOTTERON platform. The project aims to find out more about the adaptability of certain bird species in cities and urban areas.
Humans have been altering the earth, and its environment for thousands of years, and these changes had huge impacts on the natural world and the landscape. Cities are a familiar and extreme example of this change. Intriguingly, some animals can adapt to these changing environments by flexibly changing their behaviour.
The project focuses on five bird species that have done so successfully: Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Australian Brush-turkey, Australian White Ibis, Little Corella, and Long-billed Corella. Users can also report additional species by selecting "other."
The five focal species have all been observed adapting to human-modified areas, and are increasing their population in urban areas. Occasionally they are considered a nuisance, yet they are all Australian native birds that are doing their best to survive in human-altered landscapes.
The data collected will help scientists understand these species' behaviour, movement, reproduction, distribution, and habitat use in suburban areas. The scientists at the University of Sydney aim to use this information to help understand the behavioural traits that have allowed some species to adapt to the challenges and opportunities of city living.
You can find the Big City Birds App here:
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spotteron.bigcitybirds
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1526169674
Web-App for the browser: https://www.spotteron.com/bigcitybirds