Analysis of the ecological role of urban centers in Europe and North America: The impact of built parkland in richness and abundance of birds

Abstract

Urban expansion creates new bird habitats, prompting studies on how city elements affect these species. However, the influence of buildings remains under-investigated. This thesis analyzes the ecological role of urban centers in Europe and North America, assessing bird richness and abundance across scales and environmental variables, including buildings. The methodology combined local transect data with regional and international citizen science, analyzed using Excel and R. Findings show birds prefer historical buildings for nesting, and mid-rise buildings (two to four levels) correlate with greater bird richness and abundance. In conclusion, the study emphasizes integrating biodiversity into urban planning, highlighting the ecological value of historical buildings and the need for biodiversity-friendly measures to mitigate habitat loss. The combination of building height and impervious cover better predicts bird diversity than either alone. This work advances landscape ecology by incorporating vertical urban structure into biodiversity models.