TY - JOUR
AU - Schrimpf, Michael B.
AU - Des Brisay, Paulson G.
AU - Johnston, Alison
AU - Smith, Adam C.
AU - Sánchez-Jasso, Jessica
AU - Robinson, Barry G.
AU - Warrington, Miyako H.
AU - Mahony, Nancy A.
AU - Horn, Andrew G.
AU - Strimas-Mackey, Matthew
AU - Fahrig, Lenore
AU - Koper, Nicola
PY - 2021
DA - September
TI - Reduced human activity during COVID-19 alters avian land use across North America
JO - Science Advances
VL - 7
IS - 39
DO - https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf5073
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in extraordinary declines in human mobility, which, in turn, may affect wildlife. Using records of more than 4.3 million birds observed by volunteers from March to May 2017-2020 across Canada and the United States, we found that counts of 66 (80%) of 82 focal bird species changed in pandemic-altered areas, usually increasing in comparison to prepandemic abundances in urban habitat, near major roads and airports, and in counties where lockdowns were more pronounced or occurred at the same time as peak bird migration. Our results indicate that human activity affects many of North America's birds and suggest that we could make urban spaces more attractive to birds by reducing traffic and mitigating the disturbance from human transportation after we emerge from the pandemic.
PB - American Association for the Advancement of Science
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10023/24386
KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
KW - Environment, community and place
ER