Urbanization influences spatiotemporal patterns of roost site selection by black vultures and turkey vultures

Abstract Roost locations can be an important contributor to vulture conflicts with humans, but factors influencing roost-site selection at a landscape level remain largely unexplored. Further, there has been little research comparing how these vary between nocturnal and diurnal roosting sites. We used remote cameras document daily variation in use of 21 roosts (20 communication/water towers 1 natural roost) near Beaufort, South Carolina, USA from October 2019–August 2020. Numbers vultures on increased decreasing urban cover greater distance water, were not influenced by habitat fragmentation or elevation. Roosts surrounded proportions more often during the day, whereas adjacent less commonly night. suggest that this relationship results daytime association human development, areas likely provide food favorable soaring conditions for vultures. Vultures tended depart before sunrise return within two hours sunset, indicating aircraft collision risk resulting movement around would elevated times. Several communication routinely had > 100 them once, contributing conflict humans. Our findings reiterate generalism species their capacity exploit novel structures roosting, which contributed range expansions resultant increases human-vulture over past several decades.