City Critters: Wild Animals Live in Cities, Too

Charles Nilon, a biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks explains,”Any animal that you see is not a pet, that doesn’t depend on people taking care of it, is a wild animal.”

Mr. Jackson is a biologist, a person who studies how people, or other animals, or plants live and grow.

Biologist: person who studies how people, other animals, or plants live and grow.

He talked about the skyscraper geese.

The flags on the skyscraper waved in the wind.

skyscraper: very tall building found in the city

David Tylka is an urban biologist- a scientist who studies wildlife in cities.

There are many large farms in the countryside, but not in the urban areas.

urban: having to do with the city or city life

“They’re like islands of green space where migrating birds will stop,” he says.

Migrating geese fly south in the winter.

migrating: moving from one place to another, usually when the seasons change.

About fifteen years ago, scientists began trying to save the peregrine falcon by raising baby falcons in laboratories and releasing them in the wild.

Many scientists work in laboratories, places especially equipped to do experiments.

laboratories: places where scientific studies and experiments are done.

Stephen Pedland, a biologist in Seattle, Washington, says careful observation- and a look at a few bird and animal guides- can make a difference.

It takes careful observation to spot a grasshopper on a leaf.

observation: watching and looking, being careful to notice details.