Environmental Correlates of Breeding Bird Diversity in Commercial Parking Lots in Binghamton, New York

Increased urbanization has required birds, especially during the breeding season, to adapt to changing habitats, including utilizing parking lots for nesting and foraging. We evaluated breeding bird use of parking lots in Binghamton, New York, during the 2024 breeding season. We observed 29 total species and estimated species richness varied from 13 (SE = 2.15) to 27 (SE = 4.61) across the parking lots. Variation in species composition was associated with environmental and anthropogenic conditions within and around parking lots. This analysis provides fundamental information on how breeding season birds utilize parking lots.