Birds and Bats

University of Illinois at Chicago, Lincoln Park Zoo, & the Chicago Ornithological Society

Birds and bats are critical to aquatic ecosystems, and likewise, healthy riparian corridors are vital for them. Birds and bats are heavily involved in pollination and nutrient cycling, and perform critical functions by eating fish and bugs from the river. Their waste then fertilizes terrestrial areas, which is a critical link in the ecosystem. Birds are especially threatened by urban environments, where the high abundance of glass and short trees next to windows causes excess injury or mortality. Bats likewise are impacted by excessive lighting, poor habitat quality, and fungal diseases such as white nose syndrome. Rivers running through urban environments can create safe corridors which birds and bats can travel through or make homes in, and the disconnection from the land means they can more easily hide from predators such as rats and raccoons.

We’ve spotted a wide range of birds around our park spaces throughout the years, including tons of Black Crowned Night Herons, Cormorants, all kinds of waterfowl and songbirds - even a Bald Eagle! Our River Ranger volunteers monitor birds regularly using a protocol from the Chicago Ornithological Society. Monitoring is performed year-round and covers multiple locations along the length of the Chicago River. At the Wild Mile, we’ve identified 105 bird species! We’ve also experimented with building bird boxes to create nesting habitat for Cliff Swallows and Wood Ducks. 

Graduate student Claudia Boothe has been Urban River’s bat expert since 2018. She, with the help of Lincoln Park Zoo, has deployed acoustic monitoring devices which can detect bat presence, and determine species by analyzing the specific feeding and territorial calls they make. Some species of bats need a regular water source, and others are looking for nocturnal insects to feed on. Claudia has detected 8 species of bats at the Wild Mile, some of which are threatened or endangered species.

In 2023, our River Rangers began acoustic bat monitoring as part of the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Bat Tracker community science initiative. We'll be continuing this program in future years, contributing to a region-wide, community-led effort to track bat abundance, diversity, and behavior.