Urban noise does not alter spectral characteristics, but increases element delivery rate in the territorial song of the Austral Thrush (Turdus falcklandii Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Abstract
To evaluate the relevance of the Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis in the territorial song of the Austral Thrush (Turdus falcklandii), we analysed six bioacoustic parameters in urban areas of Concepción, Chile, and assessed their association with disturbance variables (ambient noise, vegetation cover, built-up area, building height). Urban disturbance did not affect spectral parameters or song duration, but ambient noise significantly increased the temporal delivery rate of song elements, and ground cover type also influenced element rate.
Type
Publication
Nature Conservation, 64
Status
Peer-reviewed
Open access
Authors
Quantitative Ecologist
I am a quantitative ecologist and researcher working on the population dynamics,
survival, and conservation status of birds in Chile and the wider Neotropics. I hold a
PhD in Zoology from the University of Oxford and have since worked on long-term
demographic studies of forest birds in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, survival
modeling with the Swiss Ornithological Institute, and shorebird and waterbird
monitoring across Chile with the Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile
(ROC). My work combines large citizen-science datasets (eBird) with mark-recapture,
mixed-effects, and integral projection models in R to produce robust, reproducible
estimates for conservation decision-making.