Wildlife is moving into our neighborhoods, and it’s happening faster than you might think. From raccoons raiding trash bins to coyotes trotting down sidewalks, animals once considered strictly wild are now calling cities home. Understanding how and why these creatures adapt helps us coexist peacefully with our unexpected urban neighbors.
This article is for informational purposes only. Always contact local wildlife authorities if you encounter wild animals in urban areas. Never approach or attempt to feed wild animals.
1. Raccoons
Raccoons have become expert city dwellers, mastering the art of opening garbage cans and navigating rooftops with ease. Their nimble fingers can solve complex problems, making them incredibly successful at finding food in urban environments.
Cities offer raccoons abundant food sources and warm shelter in attics or garages. They’ve learned to avoid traffic and even use storm drains as highways between neighbourhoods, showing remarkable intelligence and adaptability.
2. Coyotes
Once confined to rural areas, coyotes now thrive in cities across North America. These adaptable predators hunt small mammals like rats and rabbits, providing natural pest control for urban communities.
Coyotes typically avoid humans and hunt during dawn or dusk. They’ve adjusted their pack sizes and hunting strategies to fit city life. Most urban coyotes are shy and prefer green spaces like parks and golf courses as their territories.
3. Peregrine Falcons
Skyscrapers mimic the cliff faces where peregrine falcons naturally nest, making cities ideal hunting grounds. These lightning fast birds prey on pigeons and starlings, reaching speeds over 300 kilometres per hour during their dramatic hunting dives.
Urban falcon populations have rebounded dramatically since the 1970s. Tall buildings provide perfect nesting sites with protection from ground predators and weather.
4. Red Foxes
Red foxes have discovered that city gardens offer plentiful food and fewer natural predators than forests. They’ve become common sights in European and North American suburbs, often denning under sheds or decks.
These clever canines eat everything from rodents to fruit, making them perfectly suited for urban scavenging. Foxes are generally harmless to humans and help control rodent populations in residential areas naturally.
5. Wild Turkeys
Wild turkeys have made surprising comebacks in cities, boldly strutting through neighbourhoods and parks. Their populations have exploded in suburban areas where hunting is restricted and food sources are plentiful year round.
These large birds can be aggressive during breeding season but generally coexist peacefully with humans. They eat insects, seeds, and plants found in gardens and parks, adapting their natural foraging behaviour to urban landscapes.
6. Opossums
North America’s only marsupial, opossums are unsung heroes of urban ecosystems. They consume thousands of ticks, helping reduce Lyme disease risks in residential areas while also eating cockroaches, rats, and other pests.
Despite their somewhat scary appearance, opossums are gentle and rarely carry rabies due to their low body temperature. They’re nocturnal scavengers that prefer avoiding confrontation by playing dead when threatened.
7. Black Bears
Black bears increasingly wander into suburbs searching for easy meals, especially during drought years when natural food is scarce. Bird feeders, garbage, and fruit trees attract these powerful animals into residential neighbourhoods.
Most bear encounters are peaceful if humans remain calm and give them space. Communities near forests now use bear proof containers and educate residents about removing attractants to prevent conflicts with these intelligent omnivores.
8. Deer
White tailed deer have become regular visitors to suburban gardens, finding safety from hunters and abundant vegetation. Their populations have soared in areas where natural predators are absent and food is plentiful.
While beautiful to watch, deer can damage gardens and carry ticks that spread diseases. They’ve learned to navigate streets carefully and often bed down in quiet yards during the day, becoming surprisingly comfortable around human activity.
9. Bat
Urban bats consume thousands of mosquitoes and other insects nightly, providing free pest control for city residents. They roost in attics, under bridges, and in old buildings that mimic their natural cave habitats.
Many bat species thrive in cities where insect populations are high around streetlights and water sources. Despite unfair myths, bats are gentle mammals that rarely interact with humans and play crucial ecological roles in urban environments.
10. Squirrels
Grey squirrels have mastered city living so well that many people forget they’re wild animals. These energetic acrobats navigate power lines, raid bird feeders, and bury nuts in gardens with impressive determination and memory.
Urban squirrels show bolder behaviour than their forest cousins, having lost much fear of humans. They benefit from year round food availability and reduced predator threats, creating thriving populations in nearly every city park.
11. Canada Geese
Canada geese have transformed from migratory birds to permanent urban residents in many cities. Manicured lawns near ponds provide perfect grazing and nesting habitat, leading to year round populations that rarely migrate anymore.
Their droppings can be problematic in parks and golf courses, but these birds are protected by law. Geese are fiercely protective during nesting season and will aggressively defend their territory from perceived threats.
