Soaring into the city: Manitoba research finds pandemic is beneficial for birds
Though the pandemic has been a hard time for many people, one species has been reaping the benefits of lockdowns and stay-at-home orders – birds.
New research out of the University of Manitoba shows that, during the pandemic, many common bird species have been spending more time in cities in North America.
“So they actually moved from areas that were more rural into our cities and areas within tens of kilometres of highways and airports when we removed the traffic,” said Nicole Koper, a professor of conservation biology at the U of M.
She noted the number of birds overall didn’t increase, but rather that after a week or two of lockdown, birds started moving back into areas that they may typically avoid because of the traffic.
HOW WAS THE RESEARCH CONDUCTED?
Koper said she normally goes out into the field to do research, but wasn’t able to do so because of the pandemic. Instead, researchers used the Citizen Science database, where volunteers from all over the world provided their bird observations.
“So many people have participated in it,” Kpper said. “And that allowed us to look at birds all the way across North America, from Alaska down to Florida, and use millions of observations of birds to see whether they were seen in the same places during the pandemic in comparison to where they were seen from 2017 to 2019.
WERE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS?
Koper said that the majority of birds did seem to benefit from the decrease in traffic brought on by the pandemic, but there were some exceptions, including the red-tailed hawk.
She said the research shows that these types of birds have moved away from roads during the pandemic.
“I think maybe what’s happening there is the red-tailed hawks are pretty happy to feed on roadkill if it’s available, and if there’s less roadkill during the pandemic, because there’s less traffic, then it would be less useful for red-tail hawks to hang out near roads,” she explained.
WHAT CAN WE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS?
If anything can be taken away from this research, Koper said that people should continue to try to use the strategies they adopted during the pandemic to cut back on traffic.
“I think applying some of the skills that we learned, like working from home occasionally, having more virtual meetings instead of flying to visit our colleagues, and also things like funding public transportation more, those are all things that would help reduce traffic,” she said. “And they would help biodiversity, help reduce our carbon footprint and they would also save us money in the long run.”
- With files from CTV’s Maralee Caruso.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Canada recognizes housing as a human right. Few provinces have followed suit
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.