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Once natural habitats for birds, these metropolises have lost their precious wildlife not only through the ravages of time, but also because of increasing human influence. Photo: Anadolu Agency
PARIS:
Noise pollution is affecting bird behaviour across the globe, disrupting everything from courtship songs to the ability to find food and avoid predators, a large-scale new analysis showed on Wednesday.
Researchers reviewed nearly four decades of scientific work and found that noises made by humans were interfering with the lives of birds on six continents and having “strong negative effects” on reproduction success.
Previous research on individual species has shown that single sources of anthropogenic noise — such as planes, traffic and construction — can affect birds as it does other wildlife.
But for this study, the team performed a wider analysis by pooling data published since 1990 across 160 bird species to see if any broader trends could be established.
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, found clear evidence of a “pervasive” impact of noise pollution on birds worldwide. “We found that noise significantly impacts communication risk behaviours, foraging, aggression and physiology and had a strong effect on habitat use and a negative impact on reproduction,” it said.
