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Tracking study shows human physical presence alters wildlife behavior alongside land development

Researchers analyzing animal GPS and anonymized cellphone data found that human presence reshapes wildlife movement patterns independently from infrastructure like roads and cities.

Updated Aug 28, 2026 · 09:18 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • A study of 4,581 mammals and birds across the U.S. revealed that direct human presence alters animal movements as significantly as permanent landscape modifications.
  • Researchers utilized anonymized cellphone location data alongside animal GPS tracking during 2019 and 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns to isolate human movement from built infrastructure.
  • Reactions varied by species; 57% of studied species were influenced by both human presence and land changes, with some like wolves expanding habitat use while deer contracted theirs near humans.
  • Scientists are next investigating whether these behavioral shifts represent successful adaptation or signs of stress that increase mortality risks.

Key facts

  • Researchers from UC Santa Barbara, the Smithsonian, and Yale analyzed GPS tracking data from 4,581 individual mammals and birds across 37 species in the continental United States.[ScienceDaily]
  • The study utilized neighborhood-level anonymized cellphone geolocation data collected during 2019 and 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns to measure human physical presence directly.[ScienceDaily]
  • Findings published in Science showed that 57% of analyzed species were affected by a combination of physical human presence and landscape modification.[ScienceDaily]
  • Human presence was associated with changes in territory or environmental niche size for 67% of studied mammal species and 68% of bird species.[ScienceDaily]
  • When facing both human presence and landscape changes, 67% of mammal species and 41% of bird species reduced their habitat usage.[ScienceDaily]
  • Wildlife sensitivity to human presence was notably higher in less-developed settings, such as national parks, compared to urban environments.[ScienceDaily]

What remains uncertain

  • Researchers do not yet know whether the behavioral and space-use shifts in wildlife indicate positive adaptation or underlying physiological stress that elevates mortality risk.[ScienceDaily]

Sources