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Dark-eyed juncos that live on the campus of University of California, Los Angeles, have diets that more closely resemble those of the average college student.
PHOTO: SIERRA GLASSMAN/NYTIMES
Emily Anthes
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NEW YORK – About two decades ago, the dark-eyed junco, a forest-dwelling sparrow, began to colonise urban Los Angeles. The birds proved to be remarkably successful in the city, making themselves at home on the bustling campus of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
They also rapidly diverged from wildland counterparts, adopting different breeding behaviours and showing different physical traits, including shorter wings. The urban juncos also developed shorter, stubbier beaks, a shift that may have been driven by a change in diet.
