Urban areas are highly human modified

environments that cause great problems for

both humans and bird population. Human
existence has caused a negative impact on
birds and all wildlife. This impact has caused
a decrease in animal population, a increase in
human disease, and a negative impact on
wildlife diversity.
Urbanization contributes to the world's loss of
wildlife diversity and disease transmission.
The passage ​Why Is Biodiversity Important?
Who Cares​ says, “​Greater species diversity
ensures natural sustainability for all life forms.” (Anup Shah p.1). Meaning the ability for all life to
be maintained and thrive. The problem of cities is they favor certain animals and species which
effects the sustainability and causes unfavored species to go extinct and a boom in favored
specie populations. For example cities favor rats which causes a growth in the population and
more disease transmission, but does not favor setin types of birds causing three species to go
extinct in 2018 alone. Some animals are better adapted to citie life and can handle the new
environment but many can't and this will cause their extinction. THe increase in rats causes
more disease transmission to humans

The current impacts are disease transmission and wildlife population discretion. A graph
made by SIbley Guides shows the causes of bird fatalities. It shows that windows, which urban
environments are full of, are the leading cause, wIth over 900 annual estimated deaths. The
passage ​Ecosystem Consequences of Bird Declines​ states “21% of bird species are currently
extinction-prone and 6.5% are functionally extinct,”(Şekercioğlu, p.1) This quote shows that our
growing cities have hugely affect the bird population as a hole. This is a problem because if
birds go extinct is it throughs off the hole ballance of the food chain and allows the bug
populations and rat population to grow which allows diseases to be transmitted to humans. The
rat population is a huge cause of disease transmission, for example in 2013. A 52 year old
previously healthy women was bit by a rat and contracted the rare disease, Rat bite Fever. She
was bitten by a wild rat and admitted to the ICU, where she later died. The growth of new cities
cause a increase of windows which results in more bird fatalities causing rat and bug population
to swell allowing for more disease transmission.

As you now know this is a huge problem that will affect us greatly and we must think of
solutions.​ ​The solution to bird fatalities caused by window crashes is, “​Installing mosquito
screens over your windows is very effective, as long as they are on the outside of
the window and cover the entire surface.”(The Cornell Lab).​ Using mosquito screens
over windows will make them visible to birds and therefore result in less mortalities which will
allow the population to escalate to its right numbers. This will also fix the disease transmission
issue, birds will kill rats and bugs causing less disease transmission.

The issue of bird species discretion due to urban spread affects the diversity in spscies,
eliminates some species, and causes more disease. Cities favor certain animals and eliminate
others throwing of the food chain and balance in population which causes more disease in
humans. A solution to this problem is putting mosquito nets over windows. With action this
problem can be solved. The mosquito nets allow birds to see windows so birds will stop hitting
windows and the population will grow back.

Works Cited

“A Global Analysis of the Impacts of Urbanization on Bird and Plant Diversity Reveals
Key Anthropogenic Drivers.” ​Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences​, The
Royal Society, royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2013.3330.

Donovan, Tristan. ​Feral Cities: Adventures with Animals in the Urban Jungle​. Chicago
Review Press, 2015.

Luesebrink, Eric, et al. “Causes of Bird Mortality.” ​Sibley Guides​, Sibley Guides, 8 Nov.
2010, www.sibleyguides.com/conservation/causes-of-bird-mortality/.