Habitat use of urban-nesting lesser black-backed gulls during the breeding season.

ABSTRACT: Increasing urbanisation is detrimental for some animal species and potentially advantageous for others. Urban-nesting populations of gulls have undergone rapid population increases worldwide, which has resulted in an increase in human-gull conflicts. In order to inform management and conservation decisions in relation to these populations, more information is needed about the behaviour of these birds in urban settings and how they utilise their environment. This study combined Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking data of 12 urban-nesting lesser black-backed gulls, Larus fuscus, with habitat and behaviour data over three breeding seasons (2016-2018). Despite the proximity of marine areas (~10 km), the birds only made significant use of terrestrial environments, spending two-thirds of th

SUBMITTER: Spelt A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6642139 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature