“We don’t really know why they are choosing neighborhoods over other available spaces.”

Rachel Richter, an urban wildlife biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife, describing the unexplained behavior of egrets and herons nesting in residential neighborhoods instead of nearby parks or wetlands. Richter made the remark as North Texas communities try to deter large flocks that bring noise, waste and health concerns. Despite the presence of suitable green spaces nearby, the birds continue returning to suburban trees to roost, a pattern scientists still can’t fully explain, even as development reshapes their habitat. (Union-Bulletin)