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Special Issue from the Urban Wildlife Working Group

Preface for the Special Issue

by Jason D. Luscier & Maureen H. Murray

This special issue emerges from the collective work of members and leaders of the Urban Wildlife Working Group (UWWG)—a working group of The Wildlife Society established in 1999 that increases awareness of urban wildlife management, promotes conservation, and mitigates human-wildlife conflict. This Special Issue highlights contemporary research across wildlife ecology, physiology, human dimensions, and innovative monitoring strategies in urban landscapes.

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Peer-Reviewed Articles

Summary of Chicago residents responses to two questions asked about reporting rats to Chicago Department of Public Health. A graphic with a rat in the center. To the left there is a green background with the question “Who is more likely to report their rat sightings to the city?” and a silhouette of a person talking on the phone, with bullet points for more frequent sightings, older adults, property owners, and moderate incomes. On the right, there is a red background with the question “Why do people not report their rat sightings to the city?” and a silhouette of a person walking away from the rat, with bullet points for ‘Not aware of hotline’, and thought nothing would be done.

Exploring retropharyngeal lymph node metabarcoding as a tool for characterizing microbial signatures in white-tailed deer from urban and non-urban areas

by George Zaragoza, Samuel Greaves, Melanie Almanza, Breityn Barnhart, Caitlin Blackburn, Aidan Breen, Jessica Dorrien, Michael David Garan, Jenay Lemasney, Lee Nguyen, Katlene Patron, Bruno Vinicius Pinheiro, Bianca Pinilla, Ellie Rowland, Bambi Clemons, & Meguine Duvert-Ortega

Published October 29 2026

Disease Ecology
Genomics
Mammals
Monitoring
Urban Ecology

Full Text | PDF

Summary of Chicago residents responses to two questions asked about reporting rats to Chicago Department of Public Health. A graphic with a rat in the center. To the left there is a green background with the question “Who is more likely to report their rat sightings to the city?” and a silhouette of a person talking on the phone, with bullet points for more frequent sightings, older adults, property owners, and moderate incomes. On the right, there is a red background with the question “Why do people not report their rat sightings to the city?” and a silhouette of a person walking away from the rat, with bullet points for ‘Not aware of hotline’, and thought nothing would be done.

Biases and barriers in rat reporting: Insights from Chicago’s 311 Data

by Caitlyn V. Nguyen, Kaylee A. Byers, Danielle German, Jacqueline Y. Buckley, Seth B. Magle, & Maureen H. Murray

Published October 29 2026

Conservation
Human-Wildlife Interactions
Mammals
Urban Ecology
Wildlife Management

Full Text | PDF

Accepted Articles

Identifying Communal Crow Roost Dynamics and Transitions through Citizen Science

urban wildlife, American Crow, roosting, citizen science, group behavior, non-breeding, Christmas Bird Count

Influence of the Built Environment on Red-Tailed Hawk Nesting in New York City: A Comparison of Nest Success and Site Longevity Across Human-Made and Natural Nest Supports

urban wildlife, raptors, nest success, nesting adaptations, red-tailed hawk

Variables Affecting Breeding Bird Diversity of Commercial Parking Lots in Binghamton, New York

urbanization, species richness, bird diversity

Diet Estimates and Seasonal Variation for Bobcats (Lynx rufus) Within Exurban Forest

carnivore, intermixed ecosystem, foraging, stable isotope, urban, wildlife

Interested in your own Special Issue? Contact us.

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