Birds are highly vocal animals that depend on songs and calls as a primary mode of communication (Mena and Garcia, 2018). They use vocal communication to carry out many essential functions such as exchanging food, securing territories, finding mates, and warning their counterparts against predators (Gil et al., 2015; Vincelette et al., 2021).

However, anthropogenic noise has become a major, growing pollutant for many city birds dwelling in our urban landscapes (Gil et al., 2015), degrading their sensory environments and interfering with their communication patterns (Vincelette et al., 2021). Frequent and prolonged exposure to urban noises can detrimentally impact these birds, affecting their physiological, behavioural and community levels of organisation (Vincelette et al., 2021). 

For instance, urban noise can generate stress in nestlings, cause a shift in birds’ frequencies, rhythms and amplitudes of vocalisation to avoid ‘song masking’, and trigger aggressive behaviour and hearing impairment (Vincelette et al., 2021; Manchester Metropolitan University, 2019). This is especially so for migratory birds, who may rely on urban areas as temporary stops to recuperate and survive long journeys (Stokstad, 2021). Sources of urban noise include road traffic noise from automobiles and aircraft noise from airplanes that are landing and taking off. 

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a blessing in disguise for these birds, resulting in a periodic “anthropause” that has quietened down major roads and airports in cities (Stokstad, 2021). This has created more liveable spaces of living for birds during breeding and migration, leading to a visible increase in the number of species observed in urban areas as compared to pre-covid times (Stokstad, 2021). 

Nevertheless, with breakthroughs in the healthcare industry amidst the ongoing pandemic and shifts towards a ‘new normal’, cities are transitioning towards more covid-resilient modes of living. which could eventually mean a gradual rise in road and air traffic back to pre-covid levels. 

What does this mean for our city and migratory birds and are there currently any solutions to address this overlooked problem?

Find out more in the next entry where I will uncover the adverse effects of aircraft noise on birds. Until then, stay safe and stay woke! 🤔

 

References:

Gil, D., Honarmand, M., Pascual, J., Pérez-Mena, E., & Macías Garcia, C. (2015). Birds living near airports advance their dawn chorus and reduce overlap with aircraft noise. Behavioral Ecology, 26(2), 435-443.

Manchester Metropolitan University. (2019). Angry birds: loud aeroplane noise causes birds to become aggressive. Retrieved 3 March 2022, from https://www.mmu.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/story/?id=10837

Mena, L.M., & Garcia, C.M. (2018). Songbird community structure changes with noise in an urban reserve. Journal of Urban Ecology, 4(1), juy022.

Stokstad, E. (2021). The COVID-19 lockdown was for the birds—in a good way. Retrieved 3 March 2022, from https://www.science.org/content/article/covid-19-lockdown-was-birds-good-way

Vincelette, H., Buxton, R., Kleist, N., McKenna, M. F., Betchkal, D., & Wittemyer, G. (2021). Insights on the effect of aircraft traffic on avian vocal activity. Ibis, 163(2), 353-365.