Integrative Urban Ornithology – Mechanisms and Evolution in Human-Altered Landscapes

Urbanization is one of the most reflective drivers of rapid environmental change globally. Over the past two decades, the field of avian behavioural ecology has documented a wealth of phenotypic, behavioural, and ecological changes in synanthropic bird populations. We have established that urban birds are often bolder, sing differently, and adapt their foraging strategies to human subsidies. However, the time has come to transition from documenting what is happening to understanding how and at what cost these changes occur.



Integrative Urban Ornithology, seeks to move beyond basic observational comparisons of rural versus urban populations. We aim to highlight cutting-edge research that addresses the underlying mechanisms of urban adaptation, the long-term evolutionary consequences of human-altered landscapes, and the hidden physiological costs of synurbization.



Urban evolution is well-documented, yet the specific mechanisms underlying these changes continue to present significant research opportunities. Assessing avian presence or absence in urban environments is insufficient. It is essential to investigate how proximity to humans influences birds’ health and reproductive success. Also, It is well-established that urban birds often sing at higher pitches to be heard over traffic noise. However limited researchers are available that address the long-term implications of these vocal modifications for avian populations.



Original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and short communications that address novel sub-topics and critical research gaps within avian behavioral ecology. Particularly interested in interdisciplinary approaches that connect behavior with genetics, physiology, or urban geography in urban landscapes.



Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

1. Avian Genetics and Evolutionary Mechanisms

•Phenotypic Variance: Studies investigating how urbanization affects the variation of traits within populations, rather than just shifts in mean traits.

•Epigenetics vs. Microevolution: Research disentangling epigenetic plasticity (e.g., DNA methylation triggered by urban stressors) from hardwired genetic adaptations and shifts in allele frequencies.

•Micro-fragmentation: The role of hyper-local urban matrices in driving rapid genetic drift, gene flow disruption, or isolation within city limits.

2. Vocalization and Sensory Ecology

•Beyond the Lombard Effect: Investigations into the long-term consequences of acoustic adaptation, including the cultural evolution of song, "urban dialects," and potential impacts on reproductive isolation.

•Acoustic Legacy Effects: How avian communication responds to transitions in urban management, such as noise reduction policies or the shift to electric vehicles.

•Multimodal Sensory Shifts: How the interaction of multiple anthropogenic stressors (e.g., noise pollution combined with Artificial Light at Night) impacts visual and acoustic signaling simultaneously.

3. Synanthropic Ecology and Fitness Consequences

•Hidden Costs and Ecological Traps: Assessing the true physiological and reproductive costs of anthropogenic subsidies (feeders, refuse) and evaluating whether dense urban populations reflect ecological traps.

•Urban Blue Spaces: The under-researched role of urban hydrological features (drainage canals, artificial lakes) in supporting avian functional diversity and threatened species.

•Zoonotic and Microbiome Dynamics: How altered synanthropic behaviors in high-density urban flocks influence the ecology of infectious diseases and the avian microbiome.

Further, In the special Issue, submissions are strongly encouraged that address currently underserved angles such as



•Global South and Tropical Urbanization: The dynamics of urbanization in the tropics and the Global South present distinct biodiversity baselines, predator dynamics, and extreme climatic stressors. We actively seek research highlighting these critical, yet underrepresented, ecosystems.

•The "Quiet" Urban Stressors: Studies focusing on neglected anthropogenic factors, such as chemical pollution (particulate matter, heavy metals), altered olfactory landscapes, and their impact on avian behavioral ecology.

•Environmental Justice and Avian Ecology: Research exploring how the socioeconomic structuring of human neighbourhoods and unequal distribution of green infrastructure correlate with avian genetic diversity, behavioral plasticity, and fitness.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Urban Ornithology, Evolution in Human-Altered Landscapes, Synanthropic ecology, Sensory Ecology, Urban Blue Spaces, Urban Acoustics, Tropical Urbanization, Urban Stressors, Epigenetics

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.