The escape behaviour, measured as flight initiation distance (FID; the distance at which individuals take flight when approached by a potential predator, usually a human in the study systems), is a measure widely used to study fearfulness and risk-taking in animals. Previous studies have shown significant differences in the escape behaviour of birds inhabiting cemeteries and urban parks in European cities, where birds seem to be shyer in the latter. We collected a regional dataset of the FID of birds inhabiting cemeteries and parks across Latin America in peri-urban, suburban and urban parks and cemeteries. FIDs were recorded for eighty-one bird species. Mean species-specific FIDs ranged from 1.9 to 19.7 m for species with at least two observations (fifty-seven species). Using Bayesian regression modelling and controlling for the phylogenetic relatedness of the FID among bird species and city and country, we found that, in contrast to a recent publication from Europe, birds escape earlier in cemeteries than parks in the studied Latin American cities. FIDs were also significantly shorter in urban areas than in peri-urban areas and in areas with higher human density. Our results indicate that some idiosyncratic patterns in animal fearfulness towards humans may emerge among different geographic regions, highlighting difficulties with scaling up and application of regional findings to other ecosystems and world regions. Such differences could be associated with intrinsic differences between the pool of bird species from temperate European and mostly tropical Latin American cities, characterized by different evolutionary histories, but also with differences in the historical process of urbanization.

Av Sánchez Lima 900 Torre Altavista 14F La Paz Bolivia

Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas Houssay 200 9410 Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Centro de Investigaciones de la Geósfera y la Biósfera CONICET Universidad Nacional de San Juan Complejo Universitario Islas Malvinas Rivadavia San Juan Argentina

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Faculty of Environmental Sciences Kamýcká 129 CZ 165 00 Prague 6 Czech Republic

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Faculty of Environmental Sciences Kamýcká 129 CZ 165 00 Prague 6 Czech Republic; Institute of Biological Sciences University of Zielona Góra Prof Z Szafrana St 1 PL 65 516 Zielona Góra Poland

Departamento de Ciencias Facultad de Artes Liberales Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez Santiago Chile; Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability Santiago Chile

Departamento de Ecología Genética y Evolución Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad de Buenos Aires IEGEBA Ciudad Universitaria Pab 2 Piso 4 Buenos Aires 1426 Argentina

Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Conservation Biology University of Maine 5755 Nutting Hall Room 244 04469 5755 USA

ECODES Grupo de investigación en ecología de comunidades de desierto IADIZA CONICET Mendoza y Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales UNCuyo Mendoza Argentina

Geobiota Consultores Avenida Andrés Bello 2325 Piso 12 Santiago Chile

IAMRA Universidad Nacional de Chilecito Argentina

Institute of Vertebrate Biology Czech Academy of Sciences Kvetna 8 Brno 603 65 Czech Republic

Instituto de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Puras y Naturales Universidad Mayor de San Andrés Casilla 10077 La Paz Bolivia

Instituto de Ecología Regional Tucumán Argentina

Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad Campus Morelia Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro 8711 Col San José de la Huerta Morelia Michoacán 58190 Mexico

Instituto de Vertebrados Zoología Fundación Miguel Lillo Miguel Lillo 251 San Miguel de Tucumán CP 4000 Tucumán Argentina

Instituto Nacional de Limnología Ciudad Universitaria Santa Fe Argentina

Laboratório de Ecologia Instituto Básico de Biociências Universidade de Taubaté Curso de Pós graduação em Ciências Ambientais Brazil

Laboratório de Ornitologia Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre RS 90619 900 Brazil

Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa Peru

Museu de História Natural Capão da Imbuia PMC Rua Prof Benedito Conceição 407 82810 080 Curitiba PR Brazil

North American Birds Conservation Initiative CONABIO Liga Periférico Insurgentes Sur No 4903 Parques del Pedregal 14010 Tlalpan Ciudad de México Mexico

Programa de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias y Biotecnología Universidad CES Calle 10A 22 04 Medellín Colombia

Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução da Biodiversidade Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul Av Ipiranga 6681 prédio 40 sala 110 B 90619 900 Brazil

Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução da Biodiversidade Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul Av Ipiranga 6681 prédio 40 sala 110 B 90619 900 Brazil; Laboratório de Ornitologia Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre RS 90619 900 Brazil

Quirino Mendoza 320 Colonia del Carmen Xochimilco CDMX CP 16720 Mexico

Red de Ambiente y Sustentabilidad Instituto de Ecología A C Xalapa Mexico

Rua Belmira Loureiro de Almeida n 1025 apto 32 CEP 18016321 Sorocaba SP Brazil

Universidad Estatal a Distancia Vicerrectoría de Investigación Laboratorio de Ecología Urbana 2050 Sabanilla San José Costa Rica

Universidade Federal de São Carlos Depto Ciências Ambientais CCTS Rodovia João Leme dos Santos Km 110 Itinga CEP 18052 780 Sorocaba SP Brazil

University of Helsinki Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme Niemenkatu 73 15140 Lahti Finland

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