In just nine chapters, The Influence of Anthropogenic Noise on Birds and Bird Studies does a thorough job of identifying how animals and researchers are affected by noise. The opening chapter by Clinton Francis and Jessica Blickley reviews the rationale for The Influence of Anthropogenic Noise on Birds and Bird Studies and briefly reviews each of the chapters. The chapters show how noise influences avian communication, behavior, habitat use, breeding behavior, and our ability to study birds. We learn that noise can substantially reduce acoustic detection of birds, which can cause biased estimates of species richness and community diversity. And these negative impacts of noise can occur even when that noise would be considered mild. Although we are now well aware of how differences in vegetative cover can influence detectibility, noise has clear implications for bird surveys that monitor population trends, habitat use, and various behavioral studies. Noise can influence nest predation by altering communication between birds as well as altering predator activity. Noise not only alters communication, but can cause physiological stress.
The Influence of Anthropogenic Noise on Birds and Bird Studies has lessons for all researchers. The editor encourage the readers to carefully consider how noise be it natural or human-induced, can influence animal behavior and, potentially, the results of research work.
Chapter 1. Introduction: Research and perspectives on the study of anthropogenic noise and birds 1
Chapter 2. Effects of noise pollution on birds: A brief review of our knowledge 6
Chapter 3. Potential acoustic masking of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) display components by chronic industrial noise 23
Chapter 4. Behavioral responses by two songbirds to natural-gas-well compressor noise 36
Chapter 5. Acoustic space is affected by anthropogenic habitat features: Implications for avian vocal communication 47
Chapter 6. Constraints on acoustic signaling among birds breeding in secondary cavities: The effects of weather, cavity material, and noise on sound propagation 63
Chapter 7. Effects of gas-well-compressor noise on the ability to detect birds during surveys in northwest New Mexico 78
Chapter 8. Experimental determination of the response of golden-cheeked warblers (Setophaga chrysoparia) to road construction noise 91
Chapter 9. Are nest predators absent from noisy areas or unable to locate nests? 101