Israeli scientists have found that spur-winged lapwings living in human settlements exhibited greater mobility than those in nearby fishponds and fields, especially during the nesting season.
“We often see birds in populated areas and cities, demonstrating that some species habituate and even flourish in human environments. However, we tend to overlook how human presence affects these animals, altering their behavior — much like the classic story of the ‘town mouse and country mouse,’” researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) said.
The study was led by doctoral student Michael Bar-Ziv from the School of Zoology at TAU’s George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, under the guidance of Professor Orr Spiegel. The study was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B on January 8, 2025.
Professor Spiegel, Bar-Ziv, and their colleagues studied the behavior and movement of the common spur-winged lapwing in the Beit She’an and Harod Valleys, comparing the habits of “urban lapwings” to those of their “rural” counterparts.
“Our lab focuses on animal behavior and movement in space, aiming to conserve nature and prevent zoonotic disease transmission,” Professor Spiegel said.
“In our latest series of studies in these valleys, we sought to examine how urbanization and human presence influence animals, particularly birds.”
The researchers chose to focus on the spur-winged lapwing (Vanellus spinosus), a common species that is often found in populated areas and is large enough to carry a transmitter that continuously tracks its location.
“In two earlier studies, we found that urban lapwings are bolder than their counterparts that live in more natural areas, and that these behavioral differences persist even when tested in a shared and controlled environment, such as aviaries at TAU’s own zoological garden,” the researchers said.
This study, focused in the Beit She’an and Harod Valleys, compared the spatial movement patterns of two adjacent sub-populations: those living in moshavim and kibbutzim and those in nearby fishponds and fields. Two main parameters were examined: mobility (the daily distance traveled) and exploration (whether they revisit familiar locations or explore new, unfamiliar sites).
“Spur-winged lapwings nest during spring, building their nests on the ground,” Bar-Ziv noted. “We captured them at their nests, attached transmitters, and released them to continue their lives. The transmitters sent a signal every eight seconds and allowed us to track the birds over several months.”
In total, the researchers tracked 135 individuals — half of them males and half females — with an average tracking period of 194 days. The longest tracking period lasted about ten months. The data collected underwent statistical analysis to compare the movement and behavioral patterns of the two groups.
“First, we found that each bird has its own distinct personality, reflected in consistent movement patterns that differ from those of other individuals,” Bar-Ziv said. “Additionally, we discovered that lapwings living in human settlements are more mobile than those in undeveloped areas. We believe this is because disturbances in towns and villages cause the birds to take flight more often, increasing their overall flight distance but not their maximum distance from the nest.
“As for exploration, we found a more complex picture, with seasonal differences and variations between males and females. For example, during the nesting season, females in fields were more exploratory than their counterparts in populated areas, while the opposite was true for males. We don’t yet have an explanation for these patterns,” he said.
“Many animals live around us in cities and towns, and some species even adapt well to human environments,” Professor Spiegel concluded. “However, research shows that even among these city-dweller species, various aspects of behavior change due to human presence, compared to their behavior in the wild. Alternatively, it’s possible that individuals with certain personality traits are more likely to choose urban living, which explains behavioral differences.
“In this study, we found significant differences, particularly increased mobility among ‘urban lapwings’ during the nesting season. Future studies will explore the potential influence of urban environments on the development and personality of chicks from a young age to adulthood.
“These studies will help us distinguish between the mechanisms contributing to the observed differences — whether certain types of individuals gravitate toward cities or whether urban environments shape behavior,” he said.
