Geographically pervasive effects of urban noise on frequency and syllable rate of songs and calls in silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis)

Recent studies in the Northern Hemisphere have shown that songbirds living in noisy urban environments sing at higher frequencies than their rural counterparts. However, several aspects of this phenomenon remain poorly understood. These include the geographical scale over which such patterns occur (...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2011-08, Vol.278 (1717), p.2464-2469
Main Authors: Potvin, Dominique A., Parris, Kirsten M., Mulder, Raoul A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Interference
Acoustic noise
Animal vocalization
Animals
Australia
Background noise
Bird songs
Calls
Cities
Environment
Learning
Male
Noise
Signal noise
Silvereye
Song
Songbirds
Songbirds - physiology
Syllables
Urban environment
Urban habitats
Urban Noise
Vocalization, Animal
Zosterops lateralis
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Summary:Recent studies in the Northern Hemisphere have shown that songbirds living in noisy urban environments sing at higher frequencies than their rural counterparts. However, several aspects of this phenomenon remain poorly understood. These include the geographical scale over which such patterns occur (most studies have compared local populations), and whether they involve phenotypic plasticity or microevolutionary change. We conducted a field study of silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) vocalizations over more than 1 million km2 of urban and rural south-eastern Australia, and compared possible effects of urban noise on songs (which are learned) and contact calls (which are innate). Across 14 paired urban and rural populations, silvereyes consistently sang both songs and contact calls at higher frequencies in urban environments. Syllable rate (syllables per second) decreased in urban environments, consistent with the hypothesis that reflective structures degrade song and encourage longer intervals between syllables. This comprehensive study is, to our knowledge, the first to demonstrate varied adaptations of urban bird vocalizations over a vast geographical area, and to provide insight into the mechanism responsible for these changes.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2945
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2010.2296