Habitat selection of three gull species in response to sudden changes in human mobility

Developing robust strategies for human-wildlife coexistence is hampered by our limited understanding of how humans impact animal space use. It is challenging to measure the relative effects of landscape modification and human mobility on wildlife, since these factors are typically confounded. The extreme change in human mobility levels that occurred during COVID-19 lockdowns provided an opportunity to disentangle these impacts. Many gull species are considered urban adapters, capable of roosting, foraging and breeding near humans in highly modified environments. We predicted that lockdown-induced changes in human mobility would affect gulls' selection for urban and beach habitats because of altered disturbance levels and food availability. We analysed GPS tracking data from 113 individual gulls over multiple years (2015-2022), across three species in western Europe (herring gull Larus argentatus, lesser black-backed gull L. fuscus and yellow-legged gull L. michahellis). We found that, during lockdowns, selection for urban areas increased in two of ten colonies and selection for beaches increased in one colony and decreased in two others. This heterogeneous pattern likely reflects differences in how gull populations respond to opportunities and challenges presented by human-modified landscapes. Understanding this context dependence is emerging as a priority for coordinated efforts to promote sustainable human-wildlife coexistence.

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Publication Details

Journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
Published
2025-12-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2482
Primary Topic
Avian ecology and behavior
Type
article
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article

Habitat selection of three gull species in response to sudden changes in human mobility

Raül Ramos, Frédéric Robin, B. Franke, Julia Sommerfeld et al.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
Avian ecology and behavior
article

Habitat selection of three gull species in response to sudden changes in human mobility

Raül Ramos, Frédéric Robin, B. Franke, Julia Sommerfeld, Daniel T. Johnston, Chris B. Thaxter, Ruth Y. Oliver, E. M. L. Humphreys, Nina J. O’Hanlon, Robert Patchett, Peter Desmet, L. Lens, Gary D. Clewley, Ángel Sallent, B. R. Smith, R. Green, Jacob González-Solís, Diego Ellis-Soto, Scott Yanco, Frederick Verbruggen, Christian Rutz, Federico Ossi, Judy Shamoun-Baranes, Niall H. K. Burton, Kees C. J. Camphuysen, Eric W. M. Stienen, Marlee A. Tucker, Alexandra Loveridge, Wendt Müller
article en

Abstract

Developing robust strategies for human-wildlife coexistence is hampered by our limited understanding of how humans impact animal space use. It is challenging to measure the relative effects of landscape modification and human mobility on wildlife, since these factors are typically confounded. The extreme change in human mobility levels that occurred during COVID-19 lockdowns provided an opportunity to disentangle these impacts. Many gull species are considered urban adapters, capable of roosting, foraging and breeding near humans in highly modified environments. We predicted that lockdown-induced changes in human mobility would affect gulls' selection for urban and beach habitats because of altered disturbance levels and food availability. We analysed GPS tracking data from 113 individual gulls over multiple years (2015-2022), across three species in western Europe (herring gull Larus argentatus, lesser black-backed gull L. fuscus and yellow-legged gull L. michahellis). We found that, during lockdowns, selection for urban areas increased in two of ten colonies and selection for beaches increased in one colony and decreased in two others. This heterogeneous pattern likely reflects differences in how gull populations respond to opportunities and challenges presented by human-modified landscapes. Understanding this context dependence is emerging as a priority for coordinated efforts to promote sustainable human-wildlife coexistence.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological SciencesVol. 292(2061)
Andrews University (US), Smithsonian Institution (US), Fondazione Edmund Mach (IT), St. Andrews University (US), Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (GB), Utah State University (US), HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts (BE), Radboud University Nijmegen (NL), University of Antwerp (BE), University of California, Santa Barbara (US), University of St Andrews (GB), National Oceanography Centre (GB), Research Institute for Nature and Forest (BE), Ghent University Hospital (BE), Radboud University Medical Center (NL), Ghent University (BE), Institute for Biodiversity (DE), Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NL), Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (NL), National Biodiversity Institute (CR), Servicio Murciano de Salud (ES), Groupement d'Intérêt Economique (FR), Linguagen (United States) (US), Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (NL), Universitat de Barcelona (ES), National Institute of Oceanography (IN), British Trust for Ornithology (GB), University of Amsterdam (NL), University of California, Berkeley (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 30%
Avian ecology and behavior
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