Authors
Dominique A Potvin, Kirsten M Parris, Raoul A Mulder
Publication date
2011/8/22
Journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume
278
Issue
1717
Pages
2464-2469
Publisher
The Royal Society
Description
Recent studies in the Northern Hemisphere have shown that songbirds living in noisy urban environments sing at higher frequencies than their rural counterparts. However, several aspects of this phenomenon remain poorly understood. These include the geographical scale over which such patterns occur (most studies have compared local populations), and whether they involve phenotypic plasticity or microevolutionary change. We conducted a field study of silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) vocalizations over more than 1 million km2 of urban and rural south-eastern Australia, and compared possible effects of urban noise on songs (which are learned) and contact calls (which are innate). Across 14 paired urban and rural populations, silvereyes consistently sang both songs and contact calls at higher frequencies in urban environments. Syllable rate (syllables per second) decreased in urban environments, consistent …
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