The Impact of Highway Noise on Bird Communication and Behavior

This chapter explores how traffic sounds can drown out important alarm calls from birds, potentially leading to a decrease in wildlife population near highways. It presents a study that tested this theory by playing a titmouse alarm call in different locations with varying levels of noise, revealing that in quieter areas, birds responded to the alarm calls by freezing and scanning for predators, while in noisy areas, they ignored the warnings and continued their regular activities.