Life Sciences Commons^™

Roof-Top Nesting In A Declining Population Of Herring Gulls (Larus Argentatus) In Portland, Maine, Usa, Noah G. Perlut, David N. Bonter, Julie C. Ellis, Margaret S. Friar

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

A number of colonial waterbird species have been documented nesting on roof-tops throughout Europe and North America. The most common hypothesis explaining why gulls (Laridae) select roof-tops for nesting has been that population growth rates are higher than territory vacancy rates in traditional (island) habitat, suggesting that roof-tops are a non-preferred habitat. Roof-top habitat may actually be equal to or higher quality than island habitat as anthropogenic food is abundant and lower nest density may lead to lower intraspecific aggression and predation. During 2011–2012, reproductive effort and success was monitored in a regionally declining population of Herring Gulls (Larus …