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10/09/2007: "Cities reward those with low standards"

A new study using a phylogenetically controlled, global comparison of birds species demonstrates that generalist organisms are better able to tolerate urbanization.

From the Story: "The urban habitat is usually more severe than the habitats these birds historically occupied," said study team member John Wingfield of the University of Washington. "Urban habitats aren't easy, so the birds have to have developed coping mechanisms."

One of those coping mechanisms is a more flexible lifestyle.

[ In nature, it is good to be adaptible -- to a point. If you're too flexible, you lose control of your destiny, and get bred back into the lower primate stage. We're seeing this with generalist species like sparrows, pigeons, rats, squirrels and cockroaches. They don't care what they eat. They don't need much space. They don't do anything particularly impressive. They just exist and, if they could, they'd vote and watch TV just like modern humans do. ]

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2007/10/city_birds_are_tougher_than_co.php