Another name for this habitat could be "towns and cities." It is a human-created area that is densely populated by people and in which the size of land unit is small. Most people associate these areas with concrete, pigeons, cars, starlings, asphalt, House Sparrows, tall buildings, rats, manicured yards, and raccoons. But urban and residential habitats can support an astonishing variety of wildlife.
Buildings, parks, ornamental gardens, backyards, boulevards, vegetable gardens, golf courses, bridges, garbage dumps, cemeteries, airports, woodlots, schoolyards, sewage lagoons, and canals and other waterways all provide specific habitats for animals.
When one compares some of the differences between birds in urban and residential habitats with natural habitats we find that the abundance of exotic species, the density, and "total weight" or biomass is highest in urban and residential habitats, while the abundance of native species and the total number of species is highest in natural habitats. Bird-feeding activities may be partly responsible for these results because most urban birds are seed-eaters while birds in natural habitats eat mainly insects.
Urbanization is probably more detrimental to hawks than to most other birds because they are at the top of food chains and their home ranges are larger than for most other birds. However, many are adapting to urban environments.
Summer - the Merlin is becoming established in some of the Canadian prairies including Calgary, Edmonton, Moose Jaw, Regina, and Saskatoon. In fact, in Saskatoon, the highest density has been recorded for the species anywhere and the breeding success is higher than most places. Perhaps availability of old crow and magpie nests along with a population of feeders birds and small passerines along rivers has helped this bird colonize these areas.
The Mississippi Kite is also expanding its range into urban areas in the southern United States each summer. Peregrine Falcons are breeding on some city skyscrapers and feeding on European Starlings and Rock Doves. In wooded urban habitats Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Red-shouldered, and Red-tailed hawks can be found breeding. In more open habitats around cities the American Kestrel has recently been found nesting in cavities in tall building and telephone poles.
OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
Winter - a few birds of prey that breed in North America spend the winter outside the continent in Mexico, Central and South America. In most cases North America is at the northern end of their normal breeding range.
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#What type of summer habitat is this?;question\Q01\Q01.wav
