A Systematic Review of Anthropogenic Noise Impact on Avian Species

This study aims to investigate anthropogenic noise impact on avian species by means of a systematic review of literature.

Based on previous anthropogenic noise impact frameworks, it was possible to: clarify the impacts of noise on birds; optimise the existing frameworks with findings produced over 44 years; recategorise noise impacts into more appropriate categories, indicating which are the positive and negatives, as well as acute and chronic impacts caused by anthropogenic noise; provide a significant cluster model of anthropogenic noise impacts on avian species subdivided into impacts on ‘Behaviour’ and ‘Communication/Perception’ (Cluster 1) and ‘Physiology’ (Cluster 2); and show how avian hearing frequency range overlaps noise source frequency range.

This research adopted the database of Peacock et al. [1, 2] regarding avian species due to its vast coverage across taxa. A systematic literature review of 50 peer-reviewed papers about anthropogenic noise impact on birds was undertaken. A Two-Step Cluster analysis was calculated, showing the data subdivided into two clusters. Cluster 1 (76.9%) showed behavioural responses mainly composed of negative and auditory perception and communication impacts, presenting positive or negative noise impacts. Cluster 2 (23.1%) mainly showed negative impacts on physiological outcomes caused by traffic, anthropogenic, and background noise.