The urban-to-wild gradient of human development that surrounds most cities offers an excellent experimental setting to study the evolution of species to anthropogenic change. The novel challenges to the survival of wildlife in urban ecosystems (e.g. proximity to humans, busy roads, pollution) often lead to the decline and extirpation of many species from urban environments. However, the last few decades have shown that animals can adapt, as some species have recently colonized urban environments where they now thrive.