Conflicts between urban dwellers and country residents are probably as previous as the first city . These divisions are exerting increase political influence , with theUS electionsandBrexitand theTurkishreferendum showing unassailable urban - rural splits . Here at IFLScience we love all our lecturer and do n’t want to take side , but urban center - dwellers are entitled to a little of their smugness , at least if they ’re finches .
Although native to the desert of Mexico and the United states , house finch ( Haemorhous mexicanus)have adapted well to urban center living , even in climate much colder and wetter than their original habitat . Having trained man to supplement their wild diet of seminal fluid and fruits , the finch are fly high .
Arizona State University researchers test the problem - solving skills of 82 juvenile star sign finches pull together from two sites in nearby commons , as well as two locations in the Phoenix country . Phoenix is near the heartland of the finch ’s original range but now one of America ’s large urban field .
Wherever they were from , the birds were kept for two weeks in identical room on the university campus before being tested one at a time on their electrical capacity to give a food - containing tin . Birds were tagged and test again five weeks later . Over this fourth dimension the birds were queer to different levels of human disturbance .
In the journalBehavioural Ecology and Sociobiology , Ph.D. studentMeaghan Cookreports that urban fowl were able to lot with picture to humans without it seriously touch their trouble - solving skill . On the other mitt , hoot from rural area that were bothered by people during the period between the two trials were so contrive off by exposure to human race they completely neglect to give the tin on the 2d trial .
It does n’t do to read too much into this written report . For a starting line , the undisturbed rural birds did much better on tin opening than those who had been bothered by humans in the interim . This suggests it is not urban versus rural habitation per se that affects job - resolution , but the vulnerability to novel and frightening experience . There is also the small matter of not drawing conclusions about human behavior from animals more close refer to a Tyrannosaurus than to us .
Nevertheless , Cook note : " The finding propose that metropolis birds have habituated and/or adjust to typically benign human presence , but rural razz ( with less frequent interaction with humans ) may still perceive humans as threatening , which then interpose with their power to solve a problem . ” So while it may not have much to say about who make the smarter balloting choices , the study does confirm that , even weeks later , frightening encounters can confound you off your secret plan .
