Here's a sad bit of news: urban noise pollution is not only a nuisance to humans, it's now threatening the lives and wellbeing of city birds.New Scientist reported that background noise (honking, engine revving, construction noise) can "mask both the sounds of approaching predators and the alarm calls that warn of danger," say many scientists who study bird life. They can also affect the success of reproduction by drowning out the calls that male birds make to females.
Even more unsettling? Some birds have had to adapt their tweets in order to be heard over the din. NS claims that many city birds now have higher-pitched calls than their forest friends, which could eventually mean the demise of the species. If city birds get used to the higher frequencies of each others' calls, they could learn to ignore or not be able to identify the calls of those who dwell in the forest, leading to a split in the species.
It's an example of survival of the fittest: and - big surprise - in this case, the fittest are humans and our insatiable need to develop and expand our world, even if it means driving out those species who have been here long before us.
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