9.4 Urban Wildlife

Question 0

Domestic cats would hunt the rodents that I feared the grain stores and because of this they would have been highly valued by the:

Answer 0

First farmers

Question 1

Domestic cats are believed to be descended from wild cats that were probably attached to the:

Answer 1

Earliest agricultural settlements in the Middle East

Question 2

The cat’s ability to track down and kill rodent pests makes it a:

Answer 2

Well-respected human companion to this day

Question 3

Pigeons were domesticated by humans 1000s of years ago as a source of:

Answer 3

Food and fertiliser

Question 4

Feral pigeons occupy the same niche in the urban environment as their ancestors that inhabit the:

Answer 4

Rocky cliffs

Question 5

Feral pigeons perch and best on ledges, roofs and windowsills and are often found in flocks, feeding by day and roosting by:

Answer 5

Night

Question 6

Feral pigeons natural diet is grain and seeds but they also:

Answer 6

Scavenge food discarded on urban streets

Question 7

Food readily available: feral pigeons can breed:

Answer 7

Up to 6 times a year - rapid population growth

Question 8

Sometimes large numbers of pigeons are attracted into an area because people:

Answer 8

Enjoy feeding them

Also visit bird tables

Question 9

Large numbers of pigeons living in an urban environment can cause problems. In wet weather the accumulation of their slippery droppings on pavements can pose:

Answer 9

Hazards to pedestrians

They’re also acidic and can corrode brick-&stonework

Question 10

Gutters and drains blocked by pigeons droppings, nest material and dead birds can overflow causing:

Answer 10

Water damage to building; and and dead pigeons in uncovered water tanks can contaminate the water supply

Question 11

Relatively large gardens of these well-spaced houses provided an ideal habitat for foxes and they quickly:

Answer 11

Increased - then colonised other urban areas

Question 12

Many cities now have it an foxes - for most the fox population has now reached:

Answer 12

It’s carrying capacity many years ago and the population is stable, with no significant increases or decreases

Question 13

There are only few cities where fox numbers are still:

Answer 13

Increasing and these are ones that have only recently been colonised

Question 14

Urban foxes have a varied diet that includes earthworms, insects, fruit and vegetables and a wide variety of both:

Answer 14

Domestic and wild birds and mammals

Question 15

Rats are quick to learn and so will

Answer 15

Exploit any easy accessible food source

Question 16

The brown or Norway rat Rattus norvegicus is the most commonly found in the uk and tend to infest:

Answer 16

The areas around a building rather than the building itself

Question 17

Brown rats can create extensive burrow systems but will take advantage of artificial tunnels, such as:

Answer 17

Sewers

Question 18

Rats cause widespread contamination of their habitat with:

Answer 18

Droppings, urine and hairs

Question 19

Rats also carry many diseases and parasites that are potentially harmful to:

Answer 19

Humans and animals

Question 20

Until the arrival of the brown rat the black rat (Rattus rattus) was the UK’s only resident rat species. It is now:

Answer 20

Rare in the UK