Raptors (hawks, eagles, owls, and others) were once known as creatures of remote places, intolerant of human presence and activities. However, in recent decades, some raptor species have moved into and occupied urban areas all around the world. What caused this change? Why are some species able to live in our cities and not others? How do urban raptors survive the threats that humans and our activities pose? And what can we do to conserve them?

All these questions and more have triggered a burgeoning of research into the urban ecology of raptors and other species. What scientists are learning may surprise you. Raptors that can be urban are adaptable in one way or another, and this flexibility has resulted in great diversity in the ways raptors use urban spaces and cohabit with us. From diet to nesting spots to behavior, urban raptors exhibit a wide range of surprising and intriguing adaptations. The evolving relationship between raptors, cities, and people provides hope for maintaining wildlife in our ever-urbanizing world.

Subject: biology, nature

Cheryl Rozema Dykstra (BS, Calvin College; PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is an independent researcher and consultant in West Chester, Ohio. She has served as the Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Raptor Research since 2006 and has spent over two decades leading avian research projects, including an ongoing 25-year study of urban Red-shouldered Hawks in the Cincinnati area.