Date: June 2, 2016
Source: Boise State University
Researchers have determined that
noise has the potential to degrade owl habitat. The study by Jesse Barber,
assistant professor of biology at Boise State University, and Tate Mason, a
Boise State alumnus and education coordinator for The Peregrine Fund, is the
first to examine the impact of noise on a predatory bird. Their findings were
recently published in the journal Biological Conservation under the title
"Anthropogenic noise impairs owl hunting behavior."
In the study, northern saw-whet
owls hunted mice in a field-placed flight tent under the same acoustic
conditions found 50-800 meters (55-875 yards) from a natural gas compressor
station.
Owls are specialized avian
hunters, and many are particularly well adapted to hunting by ear. In this
study, researchers challenged 31 owls to hunt mice by ear (in the absence of
light) under varying noise conditions. In this way, the independent effect of
noise on hunting could be measured. Data showed that the owls experienced an 8
percent drop in hunting success per decibel increase in noise.
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