Urban and Wild Kelp Gulls: Tracking Seasonal Shifts in Habitat Use and Movement Patterns.

ABSTRACT: Humans impact the environment through a myriad of activities, including urbanisation. While some wildlife species struggle to cope with urban development, others might benefit from it. Kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus) population growth has been linked to the availability of anthropogenic resources; however, there is limited knowledge about their habitat use and movement patterns year-round. Here, we tracked Kelp gulls (n = 8) in Northern Chile from December 2022 to December 2023 using GPS-GSM devices. Our goal was to gain understanding of their habitat use and movement patterns throughout the year, and to test for differences between an urban colony at Coquimbo and a wild colony in Damas Island. We found that both wild and urban gulls used natural habitats such as the open sea

SUBMITTER: Lerma M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12819176 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature