A collaborative team explored the impact of COVID-19 on the diets of peregrine falcons across the country (with the help of citizen scientists,) which highlighted the interdependence of humans and animals in our environment.
Published in People and Nature, a new study has highlighted the impact of human behaviour on urban predators by examining the diets of the peregrine falcon during COVID-19 lockdowns. Researchers from King’s College London and the University of Bristol determined that falcons were forced to change their diet away from pigeons.
During the study, citizen scientists used online live streams to monitor 31 peregrine falcon nests in 27 UK cities over three breeding seasons – one of which took place during pandemic restrictions.
Due to fewer pigeons being drawn in by human food supplies such as discarded food waste or direct feeding, it was found that London peregrines took 15% less pigeons, replacing them with starlings and parakeets that were more readily available. However in other cities, the peregrine diets remained largely unchanged.
Brandon Mak, co-author of the study, explained “Our results indicate that peregrines in larger, highly urbanised cities may be more dependant on (and thus more vulnerable to) changes in human activities to support their prey populations, particularly feral pigeons.”
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Posted On: 27/02/2023