Cactus Wren (IMAGE) University of Massachusetts Amherst Caption Researchers from UMass Amherst, the U.S. Forest Service and Arizona State University studied bird diversity and other variables in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and found that though bird abundance and species numbers decreased over time, in areas where homeowners provided desert landscaping some desert specialist birds such as verdin and cactus wren could still be found and numbers remained relatively stable over the study period. Credit Eyal Shochat/Ben Gurion University of the Negev Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.