Meeting Abstract
Human-produced noise—from transportation, urbanization and industry—is widespread, affecting both urban and non-urban wildlife species. Non-urban species may suffer greater consequences than their urban counterparts, as they are often more sensitive to human-induced environmental change. Studies of noise pollution show a wide range of effects on non-urban birds, such as alterations in communication, parental behavior, physiology, and reproductive success. Further experimental field studies that simultaneously investigate noise impacts on avian behavior, physiology, and reproductive success are needed. Here, we use an experimental field study to investigate impacts of short-term traffic noise exposure on parental behavior (i.e. vigilance and foraging rate), nestling growth and oxidative stress (as measured by oxidative status), and nestling fledging success in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). Our results show negative impacts of traffic noise, despite a relatively modest playback regime (6 hours, every other day). Adults in noise-exposed territories displayed decreased vigilance earlier in the nestling period, and increased feeding rate later in the nestling period, compared to controls. However, increased feeding rate in noise-exposed nests did not compensate for noise impacts on nestlings: noise-exposed nestlings had reduced body size and increased oxidative status, compared to control nestlings. Noise-exposed nestlings had increased latency to fledge, but we found no impact of noise on fledging success. These results highlight the potential long-term consequences of short-term noise exposure (decreased nestling size and increased oxidative status) and add to a growing body of literature, showing that noise pollution can negatively impact birds through both direct and indirect pathways.
