Cities are not only inhabited by human beings. Other species also live here. Many animals live at our side yet pass unawares.
Logically, the "green islands" -trees lining the streets, and parks and gardens- allow certain species to feed on invertebrates or plant material (leaves, berries, seeds, sap, etc).
Likewise, the remains of food and rubbish inside and outside our homes -in streets, in squares, in roofs, on beaches and the sewer system- permit commensal species (ants, pigeons, gulls, rats, cats, etc) to take advantage of this to access food in abundance in what is an apparently inhospitable environ. Thanks to this excess amount of food and the fact that there are no other natural limitations (such as the presence of predators, competition between species, etc) which they would find outside the city, some of these species (rats, pigeons, etc) can thrive and, even, become serious pests. Added to these species, some animals such as wild boars and foxes, which do not live in the city, forage in the outskirts in order to feed on this excess food.
The remains of food and rubbish allow commensal species such as pigeons (left)
and rats (right) to thrive here.
The existence of these commensal species favours the presence of predator species within the city, principally little owls (Athene
noctua), tawny owls (Strix aluco), kestrels (Falco
tinnunculus) and Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus).
Finally, the city's vertical structure allows cliff-dwelling species to move in. These include Moorish geckos (Tarentola
mauritanica), bats, common swifts (Apus apus) and alpine swifts (Apus
melba) which make use of walls and cracks in which to live and build their nests.
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