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Bird singing changes due to the noise of cars

30.04.2017

Dr. Katherine Gentry of George Mason University, USA, and her colleagues investigated the effect of traffic noise on birdsong. It turned out that because of the noise, the birds sing differently - the songs become shorter and sound in a lower frequency range. This can affect their ability to attract mates and defend their territory. The scientists presented their results in an article published in the journal Bioacoustics.

The researchers focused their attention on the singing of the Eastern beer (Contopus virens) in three parks in the Washington suburbs. The songs were recorded in sections where traffic noise from the nearest road was either relatively constant or decreased weekly during the 36-hour road closure.

Bandwidth, duration and maximum and minimum frequencies of birdsong were measured and analyzed, as well as the amplitude of low-frequency traffic noise for 20 seconds of each song and the full range of background noise levels.

It turned out that the birds instantly reacted to fluctuations in traffic noise, changing the length and frequency of their songs in order to improve transmission. When the roads were closed, the songs returned to their natural characteristics - with wider bandwidth, lower minimum frequencies, and longer duration.

While the above changes help other birds hear songs better in the face of increased traffic noise, birds listening to these altered calls may not respond as strongly to them, which reduces the ability of males - who tune their songs to attract a mate and defend territory. If noise levels are periodically reduced, such as by closing a road, the birds will be able to perform a version of their song that optimizes vocal performance, attraction to females, and territory defense.

While reducing noise altogether would be ideal, temporary road closures are also beneficial and could be part of an effective environmental conservation strategy, the authors wrote. This could help reverse the decline in the Eastern beer population, which is reported to have halved in the Washington area in the past seventy years, and may also have a beneficial effect on other species that can correct their signals "in real time."

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