Anthropogenic Noise Acts As A "filter" Of Avian Communities
One of the hottest topics right now in the field of animal communication is the relationship between human noise and birdsong. A number of studies have found that birds sing at a higher pitch in the presence of noise pollution. This upward shift moves their songs away from low-pitched human sounds such as traffic and construction noise, and improves the likelihood that the animals will be able to hear each other and continue communicating--though potentially with greater difficulty and less clarity--even in the presence of their noisy two-legged neighbors. There is evidence that birds avoid noisy areas, particularly when they are incapable of making these vocal adjustments, since it is difficult and/or dangerous for them to live in habitats where communication is impaired. read more
