Jan. 11, 2013 — Animals have developed a
variety of strategies for dealing with increasing noise pollution in their
habitats. It is known, for example, that many urban birds sing at a high pitch
to differentiate their song from the low-frequency sound of road traffic. However,
as scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology discovered, this is
just a useful side effect. The real reason for this behaviour is that songs at
a higher pitch are also automatically louder. The birds can make themselves
heard far better in city noise by increasing the volume of their song than by
raising its frequency.
Despite the numerous unfavourable environmental
conditions they encounter there, many wild animals have colonised cities as a
new habitat. In cities they must deal with greater numbers of humans and with
more light and noise pollution than they encounter in rural settings. However,
the urban habitat also offers certain advantages, for example a more abundant
supply of food and new breeding options. Many animals have thus adapted
surprisingly well to city life.
To attract mating partners and defend their
territories, urban robins sing in the latter night when the traffic noise
decreases after the evening rush. Many other bird species, including
blackbirds, sing in urban environments at a higher pitch. So their song is
easier to detect in the lower-frequency traffic noise.
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