4 wild ways birds have evolved to live alongside humans

Tweet tweet by Nina Pullano Sep. 12, 2020

Luis Emilio Villegas Amador / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images Seagulls flock the shores. Pigeons dominate cities. When birds and people hang out in the same space, the birds can get wilder than ever.

So it's understandable that birds have adapted to urban life in these 5 ways >>

picture alliance/picture alliance/Getty Images City-dwelling humans need street smarts.

1. Bird song changes TorriPhoto/Moment/Getty Images

Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Moment/Getty Images Birds' songs have adapted to city environments. Noisy humans cause an upward shift in song frequency. See a mockingbird imitate a car alarm >>

2. Bringing humans gifts BBC/YouTube

Crows will exchange objects with humans they know.

Dinesh Kumar / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images

3. Solving puzzles Shutterstock

Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images Problem solving , making tools , and planning ahead all help birds navigate cityscapes. Gulls and crows use their big brains to get by in the concrete jungle.

Crows can make compound tools. A.M.P von Bayern et. al.

4. Locating gas leaks Stan Tekiela Author / Naturalist / Wildlife Photographer/Moment/Getty Images

Turkey vultures have a special power useful to humans: They can find gas leaks.

Natalya Pluzhnikov / 500px/500px/Getty Images The vultures are attracted to the rotten scent people use to detect odorless gas.

4 wild ways birds have evolved to live alongside humans

So it's understandable that birds have adapted to urban life in these 5 ways >>

Crows will exchange objects with humans they know.

They have reportedly given gifts to families who feed them.

Turkey vultures have a special power useful to humans: They can find gas leaks.

Read more about how crows make complex tools.

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